


sally

by diceysmiles



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Road Trip, First Meetings, Humor, Light Angst, Light-Hearted, M/M, Post-Divorce, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-07
Updated: 2017-06-07
Packaged: 2018-11-10 14:26:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 25,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11128698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/diceysmiles/pseuds/diceysmiles
Summary: When Sasuke decided to pick up a blonde off the side of the highway who wanted to make a trip on foot under the hot summer sun, it turned out to be a well-needed break from his monotonous life.Naruto believed that traveling solo with a camera as his sole companion would allow him to finally leave his recent divorce in the past. When he was offered a ride by a complete stranger, he knew right then and there that this person would help him get on with the life he had placed on hold.Neither men would have ever thought that a simple road trip would serve to satiate the emptiness that invaded both their hearts.





	1. Hitchhiker Up Ahead

**Author's Note:**

> ## sally
> 
> **noun**  
>  a brief journey or sudden start into activity

"Good afternoon," a border patrol agent said after stopping Sasuke before he passed the inspection area. 

Sasuke frowned at the man who had waved every car before him through. A German shepherd was sniffing around his car and he could see a van pulled into one of their search stations. A couple was sitting off to the side as border patrol agents removed all their luggage and other personal items.

"Afternoon," Sasuke replied slightly annoyed. There was nothing good about his afternoon.

Sasuke was already grumpy about being in the area. He had taken a flight from San Diego but the plane had engine trouble and they were forced to make an emergency landing at the Yuma International Airport. There was nothing international about the small airport. Every single flight out went straight to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport for a connection flight before you were on your way to your destination. That wasn't the worst part of it, the last flight had been at five pm. The next available flight went out at eleven am the following day. All other flights were full.

With the amount of people that were on his flight that needed a connection flight, Sasuke was lucky he was given the option of flying the next day. Given that they needed to accommodate about two hundred and twenty passengers in planes that only fit a max of one hundred and thirty per flight. Sasuke had weighed his options, sleep in Yuma at some crappy motel or make the two and a half hour trip by car to Phoenix to get an earlier flight out. The airline provided him with a free rental car and a voucher for a free flight from Phoenix to Houston, his original destination.

"Are you a US Citizen?" the man asked sternly.

Of course, he'd be asked that after seeing his Asian features.

Sasuke simply nodded. He had heard about these border patrol agents in Yuma and decided not to rile the man up. They had a chip on their shoulders and liked to give people a hard time.

The agent eyed him for a beat, probably trying to decide whether or not to believe him. "Where are you heading?"

"Phoenix," Sasuke replied never breaking eye contact. He should be giving the man more to work with because it was clear he was trying to listen for an accent. But Sasuke didn't have one, he was born and raised in the US. And he didn't care to offer more information than was asked of him.

"Where are you coming from?"

"Yuma."

"Is that where you live?" the agent asked taking a step back and walking around the car to look at the license plate.

"No."

"This is a rental," the agent said eyeing Sasuke suspiciously. 

Sasuke didn't say anything, it was more than obvious. The rental car company logo was on the bumper of the car. He did, however, take a mental note of the man's name that was on his uniform: G. Shiranui. He looked bored too but it could simply be his personality. His voice was stern but almost friendly. He had a bandana tied on his head that made him appear younger and more approachable. But it was most likely because of the heat that he wore it. Yuma was hot and dry. There were no clouds and there definitely wasn't any breeze. There was, however, two huge fans that were blowing air to keep the border patrol agents and their working dog cool. 

"How long were you in Yuma?"

"A couple of hours," Sasuke replied dryly. ' _And hopefully, in a few more hours I'll be long gone.'_

"And where were you before that?"

"San Diego."

"What were you doing there?" G. Shiranui asked and Sasuke could see that the questioning could last two hours if the man so decided. 

Sasuke looked through his rear view mirror and could see a long line of cars that had accumulated behind him.

"Conference."

Shiranui nodded taking in the way Sasuke was dressed and apparently decided he believed him. "Where do you live?"

"Houston."

"Then why are you going to Phoenix?"

' _Fucking curious asshole!'_ Sasuke thought but answered with a straight face. 

"Airport."

"Oh, you were on the plane coming from San Diego that had engine trouble," Shiranui said and Sasuke nodded. "Yeah, we heard about that. Lucky they were able to land in Yuma, eh? There were a few people who were on that flight that passed through here a few minutes ago. Explains all the traffic and the rental cars," he said pointing to the long line of cars. "Well, have a safe drive."

"Thank you," Sasuke said and rolled up his window before he slowly pulled away. '

' _About fucking time!'_

* * *

Naruto was packing only essentials in a backpack. It had been a few months since he was officially divorced and he didn't want to stay in that house any longer. Everything, from the couch to his bed, haunted him with memories of what he had once had. He had been angry when his wife served him divorce papers. They hadn't even talked about it, she had simply made a decision on her own. Naruto wouldn't put it past her to believe that it was her idea. Her father had a lot of influence over her and just so happened to be his next door neighbor. The house was his, after all, not Naruto's. The man had wanted his daughter close especially after they had mentioned they were thinking about having children. So when his neighbor moved, he purchased the house. Sakura had been over the moon and wanted to move in right away. But like any old home, it needed renovations. Naruto was still kicking himself in the ass for paying for the remodel. Their entire savings was drained and now five years later, when he didn't have a job and hadn't been able to save any money, his wife divorced him. Since he didn't have anything to his name other than the Tahoe he drove, he didn't hire an attorney and neither had his then wife. She was making over fifty thousand a year since she was the owner of a salon that was considered high end. Once they implemented the laser hair removal, she began to make a killing.

Once her salon began to make more money and her clientele began demanding high-end products and services, she needed to travel for conferences, tutorials, and events. At first, Naruto traveled with her but it became more and more cumbersome for her to take her husband. Or so she said. The truth was she was upset that she couldn't get pregnant and she blamed Naruto even though the doctor had told her in so many words that it was her body that was rejecting the pregnancy. But being the good husband he was and to not try to cause more stress on her, he stayed behind.

In time, Naruto became suspicious that on more than one of her trips, Sakura cheated on him. But he didn't say anything until it became more obvious. Their sex life became obsolete. She'd hide her phone screen from Naruto while texting. She'd take calls in another room. And she spent more and more time in the bathroom when she was home. Naruto reached his limit when she went through his phone and read a conversation he had with a friend through Facebook messenger. They had a huge argument about what he said. In short, Naruto vented to his friend that he was tired of being married to Sakura. She used that conversation as an onset to point out everything that was wrong with their marriage.

Sakura was clever and kept all arguments and conversation directed at Naruto to point out what he was and wasn't doing that further damaged their relationship. The fact that he wasn't working was a huge problem for her apparently. The thing was, he had worked the entire time they were married and she was the one who told him to quit his job. She told him she was making enough for the both of them and that he should pursue his dream job of photography. Naruto tried to convince her that it was only a hobby because it was. But she purchased a camera for him and had hired a contractor to build him a dark room in their backyard, so when he was let go because the company he worked for needed to downsize and everyone else had seniority, he simply hadn't looked for another job. Everything between them changed from one moment to the next. His lack of employment had nothing to do with it. She had met someone and was obviously trying to find a way to leave Naruto in a way that it would look like it was all his fault.

But a few weeks after she came home from her latest trip to Phoenix of which he couldn't get a hold of her until three in the morning, her mouth and nose broke out in blisters. Herpes. It was herpes. Once she found out from her dermatologist, even though he imagined she already knew, she moved out and in with her dad. A month later he received divorce papers. If it hadn't been obvious that she was cheating prior to that, it only became more than apparent after that incident. Naruto was angry at himself for staying with her long after he became suspicious of her. And he hated her for what she had done knowing how he felt about her. By the time of their court date, he was resigned and knew it was for the better. Even though it had hurt like a bitch. She would still call and text him once in awhile or would stop by to talk, wanting them to stay friends but Naruto couldn't muster anything other than being polite. And he only did that for his own well being. He could never consider her a friend. A friend was someone who had your back, a person you could trust. She was neither.

Sakura was paying alimony to him and he was able to keep his car, but the house was still in her father's name. The man still talked to Naruto the way he always had and told him he could live in the house for as long as he wished. Naruto wanted to tell him a thing or two, especially since it was his savings that had gone into that house. He was owed money for it or the very least the house should be in his name. He decided to live there for the time being and use the time to get his shit together. More and more he thought about going on a road trip, he could survive off the alimony meanwhile. But then he decided he could travel on foot and take pictures on the way. He needed to leave the small town of Tacna, where he had lived with his wife for the last five years, in his past so that he could decide what to do next with his life. He finished packing his backpack, grabbed his camera, and began to walk towards the highway.

His new life would begin as soon as he set off.

* * *

Sasuke drove through the tight curves of Telegraph Pass carefully. He was told that there were plenty of deadly accidents in that small section of the highway and most involved semi-trucks. He had seen many on the road and there were a few ahead of him and behind him. But once he passed the mountain he was able to speed up. The dreaded straight road ahead of him was an eyesore. He knew a few people who had driven that section of the highway and they all complained about how boring the drive was to Phoenix after you passed Yuma. And he could see what they meant, the road wasn't only straight but was surrounded by desert. He saw a small RV lot community off to his left. He shook his head. He couldn't believe people lived out in the middle of nowhere like that.

He fiddled with the radio but couldn't find a decent station. He had lost his phone signal when he went through the mountain pass and the radio wasn't going to provide anything decent. He had to wait to listen to anything on Spotify. He could always listen to his personal playlist but decided to drive in silence for the time being. He considered speeding up but there had been a large number of highway patrols out and about. Every fifteen miles or so, since he left the airport, he'd see someone either already pulled over or being pulled over. There wasn't really anywhere for cops to hide, the entire area was flat and open. Then Sasuke saw a police cruiser pull out into the highway in front of him and frowned. He hadn't seen it as he was driving up. He looked at the area where the police cruiser had pulled out from and all he saw was a small dune with desert plants. 

' _Unbelievable,'_ he thought. 

The glare of the sun helped hide it he figured. So he decided he would drive seven miles over the speed limit to be safe. Since it was well known that cops in the area only pulled people over who were driving ten miles or more above the speed limit.

Sasuke tightened his fingers on the steering wheel and leaned back into the seat, it was going to be the longest two-hour drive he had ever been on. He could at the very least content himself with the fact that he was alone in the car and that it was quiet. No one chewing loudly in his ear. No one kicking the back of his seat. No annoying chatter or fussy babies.

The thought of a baby made him smile. It was stupid, he knew and shook his head. But the baby on the plane earlier that day hadn't been so bad. Yes, at first he was an annoying little shit. His mother not being of any help. But she had her hands full with her toddler in the other seat. So the baby on her lap had free range of tugging on his sleeve with slobbery fingers. He pulled out Sasuke's headphones and tried to snatch the tablet out of Sasuke's hand. He blew raspberries at Sasuke. He was quiet, though, he didn't cry or scream.

Sasuke being annoyed that he couldn't read or listen to music gathered his things as calmly as possible and placed them into his messenger bag that he had below the seat. Not having anything else to try and grab but Sasuke's tie, the baby ended up on his lap. Sasuke held him carefully from under his armpits so that he wouldn't fall. The mother finally turned and seeing the happy smile on her baby's face and ignoring the glare Sasuke directed at her had said, "Thank you. He's so quiet that I forget about him while I'm dealing with his brother. He was born mute and deaf but he is so happy and full of life. Let me take him from you."

"No, it's fine. I can hold him for a while," Sasuke had replied. Then the woman smiled and nodded and turned back to her other child who Sasuke realized was autistic. Some people didn't get any breaks in life.

The baby busied himself with Sasuke's tie and every once in awhile would reach up and caress Sasuke's face with a sticky hand. He blew some raspberries and laughed a breathy sound. Sasuke ended up smiling at the happy baby. Sasuke wiped the baby's mouth and his little hands with the wipes his mother passed him. After a few minutes, he turned the baby around so that he was sitting on his lap with his head against Sasuke's chest instead. One of Sasuke's hands was wrapped around the baby's middle and the other Sasuke used to entertain the baby with the few hand signs he knew; the alphabet. He showed him the alphabet over and over until the happy clapping baby finally fell asleep leaning on Sasuke's chest and a hand wrapped tightly around Sasuke's index and middle fingers.

The woman took a picture of the pair. Sasuke had his eyes closed but the flash of the camera had him opening his eyes and looking at the woman with a raised eyebrow. The woman apologized and showed him the picture. Sasuke smiled and asking for a copy, gave her his email address. He wanted to send it to his brother Itachi just for kicks. Because that little baby boy could truly pass as a son of his. Well, with his eyes closed anyways. The baby's eyes were a cognac color almost orange and Sasuke's were black. But they both had dark hair and pale skin. The baby's chubby little cheeks basically took over his whole face and that was all anyone saw beside his eyes. Itachi would probably wonder at least for a few seconds whether or not it was Sasuke's baby when he saw the picture of the two of them sleeping together comfortably. And Sasuke couldn't help but think what it would be like to have a baby of his own. He shook his head annoyed. Like that would happen anytime soon. He needed time for himself not to mention to have a decent relationship.

Signs of civilization caught his attention. A golf course that could pass as a mini golf turf and few houses to his right. A desert scenery just as he had seen for the past few miles to his left or at least as far as he could see. It appeared to be a small town. A very small town. Sasuke wrinkled his nose. He couldn't imagine living someplace so small. Because before he knew it, he had already passed it up.

After having survived the god awful smell of manure from the cow farm that was situated near the freeway, Sasuke was more than a little bored. His cell signal had finally returned and he put on some music to at least distract himself a little. A head of blonde hair caught his attention as he drove under a bridge that led to another small town and another Chevron off the highway. The blonde was wearing tight jeans and a long sleeve t-shirt paired with some leather boots. He wasn't wearing a hat nor did he appear to be hot. Sasuke frowned, he knew he would be sweating gallons if he stood in that heat for five minutes and who knew how long that stranger had been walking.

Sasuke pulled over a good ten feet in front of the stranger simply out of curiosity. When he looked back the guy had stepped back and pulled out a camera to take a picture. It had a telephoto lens. 

' _A photographer,'_ Sasuke thought.

He followed his line of sight and only saw a desert landscape, a small town, and mountains further out. Not seeing anything worth taking a picture, Sasuke turned towards the blonde to look at him curiously. It had seemed weird that the man didn't appear to be a hobo. His clothing was clean and although his jeans were worn, they were obviously the blonde's favorite pair by the way they fit and where the faded creases were.

The blonde began walking towards his car, simply making his way down the side of the highway. When he was within earshot, Sasuke rolled down the window. The blonde heard the sound of the window being rolled down and turned to look at the driver. He bent down a little so that he could see Sasuke's face.

"Hey, how's it going?" the blonde said with a friendly smile.

"I was about to ask you the same thing," Sasuke replied looking right into piercing blue eyes. "It's hot out there."

"Yeah, I suppose," the blonde said with a shrug. "Are you lost? Need some directions?"

"No. I thought maybe your car had broken down and I was going to offer you some assistance," Sasuke replied sincerely.

"Oh," the blonde said and his smile widened. "Wow, thanks. But, no. I'm walking."

"Where are you heading? If we're heading in the same direction, I can give you a lift," Sasuke told him and then smacked himself mentally. 

' _What the fuck am I saying?'_  

It was no surprise that the blonde stuttered. Hell, he would've thought himself a psycho too. 

"I don't want to drive off and then wonder if you had a heat stroke." Well, shit, his mouth must've had a mind of his own. Since when had he become so selfless?

"Yeah, you're right. I should've thought this one through better. Heh. I don't even have enough water to survive more than two hours out here," the blonde said and stood up straight to stretch. 

His shirt rode up and Sasuke couldn't help but stare since the blonde's abs were right at his eye level. 

Then the blonde bent down again, resting a hand on the passenger door and peering in to look at the driver. "I wasn't really going anywhere. I just wanted to get out of town and take pictures."

"I'm heading towards Houston," Sasuke told him and then mentally cringed for that one. His original destination had been Phoenix. He was taking a flight to Houston. Seemed like his mouth was doing more than being generous, it was also changing his plans for him. But then the blonde seemed to become excited and Sasuke's stomach tightened in anticipation of what he would say.

"I've never driven there! I can only imagine the scenery. I bet there's great picture stops along the way too!"

"I wouldn't know, I've only flown until now," Sasuke told him and shrugged.

"But you're in a rental," the blonde said and scratched his chin. "Don't they make you pay per day or some shit. How long does it take to get to Houston anyways?"

"Well, if I sleep in Phoenix tonight and wake up early tomorrow, I can probably get there by tomorrow night. Of course, that depends on the number of stops I take."

"Phoenix? Wouldn't it make more sense to head towards Tuscon instead of Phoenix?" 

Sasuke shrugged. He only said Phoenix since it was the original plan. 

"But a scenic route would take longer. I should've brought my car," the blonde said pressing his lips together in thought.

"So, you _do_ own a car?"

"Yeah, I just thought it would be fun to travel on foot but it would be more productive to take a car. Man, I could probably go even further! I've never taken a long road trip before."

"It sounds like you don't have any real plans," Sasuke told him with a slight frown.

"No, heh," the blonde said and shrugged.

"Hop in. All the cold air is escaping through the window," Sasuke said and leaned towards the door to open it for the blonde and gestured for him to climb in. 

The blonde looked at him warily for a few seconds then shrugged and jumped in. 

As soon as he closed the door, Sasuke rolled up the window. "Sasuke Uchiha."

The blonde took Sasuke's hand in his firmly and shook it. "Naruto Uzumaki."

"I could drive you back to your car if you'd like that way you can decide what you want to do on the way."

"Um, you passed the exit already and the next one is ten minutes away. It'll probably be easier if I walk back to my house," Naruto told him and gestured to their surrounding. "This is Tacna. I've lived here five years too many. I need to get the fuck out of here!"

"So come with me," Sasuke told him without thinking and waited for Naruto to reply. "Once we get to Houston, you can decide what you're going to do next."

"Huh," Naruto said and looked at him for a moment. "Well, I...?"

"Hmm?" Sasuke tilted his head a little waiting for Naruto to say what was on his mind.

"Can't the rental company come and pick up the car instead of you taking it to them?"

"I think so."

"So leave it at my place and call the rental company. We can drive to Houston in my Tahoe that way when we get there, I won't be stranded without means of transportation."

"Alright, that sounds fair."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

"Awesome!" Naruto said and then pointed up the road. He gave Sasuke a few instructions and Sasuke shook his head. 

"It's probably best if you drive while I contact the rental company."

"Oh, okay," Naruto said and nodded in agreement.

They both got out of the car, careful of the oncoming traffic, rounded to the other side, and sat in their respective seats. By the time Naruto pulled out into the highway, Sasuke was already on the phone with the rental car company. Since all their cars were equipped with remote features, Sasuke simply needed to leave the keys in the car and they would lock it up remotely then pick it up at their own convenience.

Naruto parked the car in front of his house and told Sasuke to move the rental into his driveway once he pulled his Tahoe out. It was an easy switch. He then invited Sasuke inside while he went to his bedroom to pack a few more things since he would be taking a longer trip than he had originally planned. He pulled out a small suitcase and packed it with more clothes and other essentials. He grabbed his laptop, his phone, and other accessories he had left behind thinking he'd be on the road without any power sources. He changed into a short sleeve t-shirt since he would be out of the sun then made his way back out to the living room.

Sasuke was sitting patiently on a brown leather sofa taking in the house. The furniture and decorations were all rustic. Sasuke wondered if it was Naruto's taste or someone else's even though it seemed like he lived alone. There was no indication that more than one person lived there. There were a few pictures on the sofa table set behind the sofa he was sitting on. They were all group pictures. Friends, he assumed. There was one where he was standing with a couple and he appeared younger there so Sasuke figured they were his parents. The man did look a lot like Naruto. Both his parents had blue eyes but Naruto's were most like his father's. And even though his mother was a red-head, he looked a lot like her. Sasuke decided as he looked at the picture that Naruto was not a serial killer and he was not out of his mind for traveling with a perfect stranger. 

Then Sasuke heard him laugh and turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow.

"It's nothing. I'm laughing at myself actually," Naruto said and laughed again.

"Why?" Sasuke asked and stood up seeing Naruto make his way to the door.

"Uh, have you heard of that movie 'Wild'? The one that Reese Witherspoon was in?"

"Yeah, I never saw it, though."

"Yeah, me neither but with all the buzz I sort of knew what it was about," Naruto continued as he locked his front door and walked to his Tahoe. "It was about a woman who basically had nothing and decided to walk the Pacific Crest for enlightenment or some shit. Anyways, that's why I was laughing."

"Because you wanted to do the same thing?" Sasuke asked knowingly.

They had walked to the back of the car and Naruto opened the back hatch so that they could both place their luggage inside.

"Yeah, something like that. But obviously I hadn't really thought about what I was really doing, I just wanted to get out of here so bad that I grabbed two changes of clothes, my toothbrush, and my camera to take a trip to god knows where. Hell, I only had two bottles of water with me. Goes to show where my mind really was," Naruto said grimly.

"Well, it sounds to me that you were ready for a change and decided to act before you changed your mind. There really isn't anything wrong with that," Sasuke told him and regarded him something akin to respect. 

Naruto nodded silent thanks as they got into the car.

Sasuke held up a hand before Naruto put the car in drive and sent a quick message to the car rental representative who was going to remotely lock up the rental he was leaving behind. When he received a reply, he told Naruto that they were good to go.

"Alright, let's get the fuck out of here," Naruto said happily and then checked his gas tank, "Uh, after I fill my tank."

Sasuke shook his head and chuckled.


	2. Speaking of Dogs...

They had driven for thirty minutes and all Sasuke had seen was basically the same. There was nothing but desert and on occasion a few scattered RV's or mobile homes. They had passed another gas station where there was a sign that claimed to be the spot for the best date shakes. Dates. The fruit that grew on palm trees and resembled pruny looking cockroaches. Why would anyone want to drink a shake made of that particular fruit? Sasuke had asked Naruto if he had ever had one. But Naruto shook his head and made a barfing sound that had Sasuke chuckling.

"That's nothing. Some time back, ostrich burgers were sold in Gila Bend. They were a big hit for a time but they don't sell them anymore." Naruto looked at the time. "We should be there in about half hour or so," he said with a shrug.

"Did _you_ try the ostrich burgers?" Sasuke asked carefully. 

Naruto laughed and smiled. "A friend of mine did. He said it tasted like a cross between ground beef and turkey meat."

"Maybe that's what it was," Sasuke said logically. He wouldn't put it past someone to try and trick people out of a buck.

"That's what I told him!" Naruto said and laughed. "There was an ostrich farm near there at the time so it was most likely real ostrich meat. Every time we passed through there afterward, I'd ask if he wanted one and he would practically turn green. Now there's a Car's Jr. where that burger place was."

"Do they sell ostrich burgers?"

"No," Naruto said and chuckled. "It's a regular run of the mill Carl's Jr."

"Ah."

"You've never been through here before?" Naruto asked curiously.

"No, I normally fly," Sasuke told him and Naruto nodded with his lips pressed together. Sasuke realized how pretentious he must have sounded to Naruto. So he decided to clarify his statement even though he wouldn't have cared to with anyone else. But Naruto was different. "Business trips. The company I work for pays for the flights. I don't usually go on vacation but when I do, it's only to visit family."

"Seriously? You've never been to like Hawaii just for fun?"

"No, have you?"

"It's expensive," Naruto said and shook his head. "You have to make sure you take plenty of money or you'll end up on the third day having the appetizers they serve at the hotel lobby at happy hour as your dinner. But it's beautiful and I don't regret going. Or starving. Heh. I took so many great shots out there. I wouldn't mind saving up to go again."

"Did you go with a group of friends after graduation or something?" Sasuke asked thinking that was why the trip wasn't planned out carefully.

"Nah, it was for my honeymoon," Naruto said and scratched the back of his neck nervously. He couldn't for the life of him even begin to understand why he let that slip or why he brought up his goddam honeymoon of all things. He mentally berated himself and chose not to say anything else.

The awkwardness that settled between them was almost palpable.

Sasuke frowned and turned away looking out the passenger window. "So, you're married?"

"Not anymore," Naruto said and he sounded a little bitter even to himself. He cleared his throat and shrugged the feeling away. "Divorced."

"Hn," Sasuke said not really knowing what to say to that. Naruto didn't seem to happy about it and it made Sasuke believe that the divorce was fairly recent.

"Are you originally from that small town?" Sasuke asked to steer the conversation to a more pleasant topic.

"No," Naruto said and settled in his seat uncomfortably. But he chose to give Sasuke an explanation hoping to be able to drop the subject after that. "She was. We met in college. I stupidly married her and followed her here. It was good in the beginning; the marriage, I mean. But things happened and… Well, the divorce was for the best really. I just need to figure out where to go from here, you know."

"You don't want to move back to your hometown?"

"Heh, which one?" Naruto said and chuckled without humor. "I moved around a lot since my father was in the army. So I don't have a hometown. And I couldn't wait to go away to college just to be in a set place for four years, you know. I thought I was lucky when we moved out here. Even if it was her hometown. It was home, a real home. But now, that house just haunts me. And I think about everywhere I've lived and I don't want to go to any of those places. I want to go somewhere new and set roots there."

"And you've never been to Houston?"

"No! Crazy, huh?" Naruto said with a chuckle. "Maybe we were supposed to meet so you can show me around. Who knows, I might like it and want to stay. But, hmm... How's the job market there?"

Sasuke laughed and shook his head. "I'll show you around but if you want to continue your road trip, what's the point of looking for employment?"

"Well, if the drive from here to Houston doesn't help me figure out where I should head next, I doubt if I keep going I will. So I was thinking, you have between now and our arrival to convince me to live in Houston. Otherwise, I'll have to keep driving until inspiration hits me along the way to the east coast."

"You plan on driving all the way to the east coast?"

"Well, I can't drive past it," Naruto said as if it were obvious. Sasuke snorted but otherwise didn't comment. "Like I said, I have no idea where I want to go."

"So it's up to me to tell you all the joys of living in Texas?"

"Yup!"

"Well for one, the sun doesn't try to kill you with scorching heat," Sasuke said annoyed.

Naruto burst out laughing.

* * *

They stopped in Gila Bend for a pit stop. The convenience store where they stopped was packed. Sasuke made a disgruntled noise, his face set to annoyed. He already dealt with irritating passengers at the airport and those who were angry at the flight attendants and clerks because of the emergency landing. Because it was their fault that the airplane had problems. People were annoying and now he was facing a whole group of them. All the gas pumps were occupied and there were lines of people waiting to pump gas. He saw a few people sitting in their cars instead of pumping gas or cleaning their windshields as if no one else was waiting behind them. He tsked annoyed at how self-centered some people were. To Sasuke's surprise when he turned to face Naruto, he was smiling.

Sasuke had taken off his tie, unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt, and rolled up his sleeves during the drive. Because even though Naruto had his AC on, he hadn't set it to the highest level. It was nice and fresh in the car but the thought that it was hot outside had Sasuke preparing for it. When he stepped out of the car, the heat felt almost the same as when they had left Naruto's place even though the sun had finally gone down close to nine.

"You're going to get a kick out of this place, Sasuke," Naruto said and grinned.

As Sasuke walked around the front of the car and moved closer to Naruto so that they could walk side by side, Naruto reached out and took his hand. Sasuke automatically wrapped his fingers around Naruto's hand but frowned slightly. He was a little confused. Yes, Sasuke was attracted to him but Naruto had not given a single hint that he might be into Sasuke. Sasuke had even believed that Naruto was straight since he had recently divorced a woman. Then his mind supplied the thought that perhaps the reason they divorced was that Naruto finally realized he was gay. Sasuke decided to test Naruto and rubbed his thumb over Naruto's knuckles.

Naruto tensed and looked at their joined hands, halting mid-step. "Um, Sasuke? Why are we holding hands?" he asked nervously.

"You tell me. You were the one who grabbed my hand," Sasuke said simply and shrugged uncaringly.

"Uh, fuck. I'm sorry. I think it was out of habit," Naruto said and looked at Sasuke apologetically. He had gotten so used to being part of a couple that it was hard to break that mindset. He hadn't even realized he had reached out for the other's hand. But since Sasuke didn't make a move to let go, neither did he.

"It's fine. Are we going or what?" Sasuke asked gesturing to the convenience store with his free hand.

"Uh, yeah," Naruto said happily and began to walk again, 

Sasuke easily kept in step with him. He snickered to himself because Naruto hadn't let go of his hand. He loosened his fingers so that when they got to the door their hands slipped apart. Naruto turned to smile at him as he held the door. Sasuke nodded at him as he entered. Only to see that they were in some sort of entryway and he held the next door open and followed Naruto inside.

Naruto said a cheery hello to the cashier who greeted them with a friendly welcome. They walked past a few aisles. To their left was an entryway to the Taco Bell that was part of the building. Even so, the convenience store had fountain drinks and hotdogs cooking on a roller grill. There were donuts and fruit and an assortment of food to take on the go. Sasuke crinkled his nose and made his way to the back where he saw another cashier and a back entrance for semi truck drivers. To the right, there was an assortment of souvenirs. From small ceramics figurines to large stuffed animals.

"I am so buying you this shirt!" Naruto said as he held up a t-shirt up to his chest so that Sasuke could see the graphics.

Sasuke snorted when he saw a graphic of a skeleton donning a cowboy hat, a belt that had a gun in the holster, and boots with spurs. The cowboy was tipping his hat in greeting as he leaned on a cactus. The word Arizona was written with a sun replacing the letter O. And underneath the skeleton graphic the phrase 'but it's a dry heat' was written in a way that made it look like the words were sizzling.

"You like it don't you? I knew you would! Alright, I'm gonna take a piss, get us some water and I'll meet up with you in a bit," he said and took off down a hallway to the bathrooms.

Sasuke smiled to himself as he made his way to the refrigerated beverages. He grabbed two bottles of water and decided to wait by the register. 

A few minutes later, Naruto walked up to him with the t-shirt in hand. He took the bottles of water from Sasuke and got in line to pay. Sasuke looked at him curiously but didn't say anything. They made their way back out of the store and as soon as they stepped outside, Sasuke felt the heat instantly.

"Doesn't the temperature drop at night? How is it still hot? It's almost ten," Sasuke complained. There was no way he could ever get used to the heat.

"What do you mean? It's gone down at least ten degrees," Naruto said with a slight pout. He had no idea what Sasuke was talking about. He checked the weather on his phone. "See! It's down to ninety-eight degrees from one-hundred and nine."

"Naruto, ten degrees doesn't make a difference if you're comparing heat between blazing and scorching," Sasuke said matter-of-factly.

"It could be worse," Naruto said with a shrug.

"How the fuck could this heat be worse?"

"It could be humid so be grateful that it's a dry heat," Naruto said and laughed throwing the t-shirt at Sasuke who caught it before it hit his face.

"Right," Sasuke said and gave the t-shirt a glance. A smile took over his features because of the little token Naruto had given him. They got into the car and Naruto cranked the AC on high just for Sasuke before he drove off.

"Ah, yeah," Sasuke said as he felt the blast of cold air. He leaned back and unbuttoned his shirt. "Mmmmm."

Naruto chuckled as he drove onto the main road to make his way to the freeway.

* * *

Naruto headed towards Casa Grande. It was only an hour away and had better hotels for a night stay than Gila Bend. Sasuke had booked them into a three-star hotel only because there wasn't anything better. A single room with a king-size bed and breakfast included was all that was available at that time of night. He asked Naruto it that was okay with him before he confirmed the booking. Naruto said it was fine and shrugged. He didn't mind at all since he was used to sharing hotel rooms with his friends whenever they took a trip. Everyone would chip in and took sleeping bags to make the most of the hotel pricing. That way they had extra money to spend on food and anything else they fancied. It would probably feel empty since it was only two of them in the room. But an empty house had become his home and he welcomed the company even if was someone he had just met.

Sasuke was so tired he wouldn't even mind sleeping in the car. So he was more than a little grateful when they pulled up to the hotel. They each took down their single pieces of luggage and made their way to the check-in counter. Sasuke had only buttoned up a couple of buttons on his shirt to be at least minimally presentable. Of course, the woman behind the counter decided to check them in extra slow just to get as much of Sasuke as she could. Or that was what Naruto said as they made their way up the elevator and probably feeling a lot more annoyed than he should be. Sasuke only eyed him without saying a word because he wasn't registering anything Naruto was saying. As soon as they got into the room, Sasuke stripped down to his boxers without really taking notice of the other person in the room and slipped under the covers. Within seconds, he was out like a light.

Naruto stood there dumbfounded and mouth agape until he let out a chuckle out of pure amazement. If he would've known that Sasuke was that tired, he wouldn't have kept up banter on the drive there. He was still wired from driving and stretched his arms over his head. He walked up to the AC unit by the window and turned it on making sure not to set it too cold. He decided to take a quick hot shower to soothe his sore shoulders from the driving tension. He pulled out a pair of clean boxers and ten minutes later, he was out of the shower and drying his hair. He brushed his teeth and ran a hand through his hair before he too made his way to the bed. He grumbled after he had made himself comfortable realizing he had left the light on. He got up and flipped the switch off and slowly and carefully walked through the darkness back to the bed. He fluffed up his pillows and turned sideways, facing Sasuke and listening to his soft breaths. Naruto smiled in the darkness because for the first time in close to a year he wasn't alone.

* * *

Sasuke was the first to wake the next morning. He felt a little disoriented for a moment. The morning light spilling in from partially opened curtains let him see where he was. He hadn't been fully awake when they had arrived at the hotel the night before and he couldn't recall anything past getting out of the car. But when Sasuke turned around and came face to face with Naruto whose mouth was slightly opened, a soft snore escaping through his lips, he couldn't help but smile. It was a welcomed change from all those trips he usually took alone. It wasn't as if he traveled for pleasure but at times he couldn't help but feel a little lonely. Sasuke reached over and lightly ran his fingers through Naruto's hair, not really trying to wake him. They were both in the middle of the bed having gravitated towards each other during the night. But Sasuke didn't dwell on that, he was just happy they didn't wake up on top of one another. His cheeks colored slightly at the thought.

"Hey," Naruto said with his eyes still closed, his voice thick with sleep. Sasuke's hand stilled. Naruto reached up and took Sasuke's hand in his to try and get him to keep caressing his hair.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," Sasuke said softly and began the rhythmic motion of his fingers once again as soon as Naruto's hand fell back onto the bed.

"It feels nice," Naruto said and finally opened his eyes to look into the dark ones that shifted their gaze from his hair to his eyes. "But if you keep it up, I'll want you to touch me elsewhere. I haven't gotten laid in two years. It's just been me and my hand."

Sasuke snorted and then gripped the other man's shoulder when his body began shaking with laughter. Naruto smiled not really embarrassed just happy to make the other man laugh.

"Are you always this blunt?" Sasuke finally said not being able to stop smiling.

"Yeah, pretty much," Naruto said and yawned. He stretched his entire body from the tip of his toes pointing as far as he could to the tips of his fingers that reached as far above his head as possible. Of course, all that did was make his morning wood all the more prominent. 

"Someone's fully awake."

"Heh," Naruto said with a grin and reached down to grip himself trying to will his erection away. "That's embarrassing."

"I think it would be more embarrassing if it were smaller," Sasuke said amused and sat up. Feeling hypocritical because he was glad that his morning erection had already gone away. 

"Heh, I suppose so."

Sasuke was up and out of the bed ready to get moving. He looked for his suitcase and pulled out a few items of clothing before folding up what he had taken off the night before to put the items of clothing away. 

"I'm going to shower. Breakfast is already being served so if you want to head down, I could meet you in about fifteen minutes."

"I'd rather wait and head down there together. I'll just get my things ready, meanwhile. We can hit the road once we finish eating."

"Sure," Sasuke said and nodded.

Sasuke disappeared behind the bathroom door and Naruto sighed glad for the privacy. He frowned at the protuberance in his boxers. He closed his eyes and pictured Sakura. His boner was gone in less than ten seconds. He smiled to himself but then looked down at his groin. 

"If only you reacted like that when we met her. Dick," he said in a whisper and then snorted because he had called his penis a dick.

* * *

"How the fuck is it this hot already? It's seven in the morning," Sasuke complained as he walked out of the hotel towards the sun apparently. Naruto chuckled beside him.

"Well, there happens to be a heat warning in effect," Naruto said and Sasuke turned to look at him wide-eyed. 

"And you wanted to travel by foot." He shook his head and sighed. 

' _Good thing I stopped and offered him a ride,'_ Sasuke thought.

"To be fair, it only went into effect last night. And it's not like I've never worked in this weather. Besides, it's still cool out right now. By the time the temperature goes past the hundreds, we'll be in Texas and it should be in the nineties there," Naruto said and unlocked the car so that they could get their luggage inside. "Let's stop to get gas and water for the road."

"What do you mean you worked in this weather?" Sasuke asked with a deep frown.

"I was a meter reader. There were places I had to go in by foot and others I could work off binoculars. But yeah, I was out in the sun and driving most of the day. There are worse hazards than the sun in that line of work."

"Like what?" Sasuke asked as he put on his seat belt having already made himself comfortable in the passenger seat.

"Dogs," Naruto said matter of fact.

"You did not just say dogs," Sasuke said and tightened his lips to stop himself from laughing.

"Do you know what this weather does to a dog? If a dog is irritated, they bite or at least growl loud enough to scare the shit out of you."

Sasuke laughed at him then.

"It's not funny, asshole! I'd like to see you face to face with an irate Rottweiler or a Doberman pinscher," Naruto said and shook his head with a chuckle. "My first week on the job, I'm shadowing another technician so that he can show me the ropes. We pull into this RV park and right when we're about five feet away from the pickup truck, this dog comes running towards us. We can't see him at first; we only hear the barking and the chain it's dragging. Anyway, I ran and jumped into the bed of the truck. He starts laughing when he sees the dog. It's a small terrier." Sasuke laughs harder than he had before and presses his lips together to control himself. "But _I_ had the last laugh when the terrier bit him."

"The terrier bit him?" Sasuke asked surprised his mouth slightly agape.

"Fuck yeah, it did! I was laughing so hard," Naruto said with a chuckle. "Serves him right. I know what it feels like to be bitten by a dog. I never want to feel that again. I was safe in the back of the pickup while Mr. I'm-not-afraid-of-dogs was sitting on the floor grabbing his ankle and cussing out everyone from God to the devil with grown man tears in his little eyes. The owner came out and apologized. But I was too busy laughing to hear what he was saying."

"You've been bitten before?" Sasuke asked curiously once their laughter had died down.

"Yeah," Naruto said and sighed. "Got me in the leg. That fucker."

"How did it happen?"

"Uh, hmm," Naruto scratched his chin trying to think about it. He parked the car next to a gas pump and turned off the car. "I was playing in the front yard and this stray just so happened to be walking by. I don't know why but it just rushed at me. It bit me on the leg and tried to drag me off. I was tearing out the grass as he was pulling me away. I finally managed to kick it in the face. I know I was shouting too. But it wasn't until my dad came out that the dog released me and tried to run away."

"Tried to run away?"

"Uh, my dad sort of killed it."

"Really?" Sasuke said a little surprised then he scoffed. "I'm pretty sure my father would've done the same thing."

Naruto nodded thoughtfully. "I think it was hungry."

"So he wanted to eat the little blonde kid."

"Heh, maybe."

"Are you sure it was a dog?"

"Uh, don't know. I never thought to ask. But it looked like a dog."

"I've never heard of a dog trying to have a kid for lunch."

"Aren't dingoes dogs?"

Sasuke began to laugh and nodded. With Naruto's logic, there was no point in second guessing him. Dingoes were accused of eating babies although the evidence proved the accusation a lie. It was best to let Naruto believe dingoes were capable of such crimes. Sasuke was sure it would help Naruto sleep better at night if it was a dog and not, say, a wolf that tried to have him for lunch. Sasuke wondered where Naruto lived when that happened. Maybe near a forest or something. He looked at Naruto with a soft smile when he saw him pondering over dingoes, more than likely. Sasuke gestured to the gas station with a hand so that Naruto knew he was going inside.

"Grab me some water. I'm going to fill up the tank," Naruto told him and got down. He pulled out his wallet and ran his card through the machine before he began to pump some gas.

When Sasuke got back into the car, Naruto was already inside and was talking to someone over the phone. But it wasn't a casual conversation. He was wiping his face tiredly and sighed loudly.

"I told you, it's none of your business," Naruto said through tight lips.

" _It is my business!"_ said the voice of the woman Naruto was talking to. Sasuke's eyes widened. Whoever it was had some set of pipes if he could hear her.

"It stopped being your business the day you walked out on me. Now, let the tow truck driver do his job and fuck off!" Naruto said and hung up. "Gaaaah!"

"Is everything okay?" Sasuke asked after a beat.

"Uh, yeah. I just don't know why I let her get to me," Naruto said and began to mess with the settings on his phone. He declined the call that came in and then locked the screen. "There, I blocked her. She can't call anymore."

"She?"

"Uh, yeah, the ex-wife. It's so weird saying that, you know. I'm twenty-five years old and already divorced," Naruto said and shook his head. "Anyway, she was just being nosy because the rental company finally sent someone to tow the car away this morning."

"Do I need to call and make sure everything is okay on my end? I mean, if she's not letting them take the car…" Sasuke said carefully. He didn't know the woman but he wasn't sure what she had done to prevent them from taking the car.

"I don't think so but if you want, I'll call her father so that he could get her out the man's hair?"

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea."

Naruto turned on the car and stepped out. Sasuke could see him pacing back and forth as he spoke to the other person. He saw Naruto nod a couple of times and mouth the words: thank you and sorry to bother you. Sasuke was taking a sip of water when Naruto stepped back into the car.

"Uh, that fuckin bitch was lying. They picked up the car last night. She was just trying to find out why I never came home last night thinking the rental car had something to do with it."

"I didn't know it would cause you any trouble," Sasuke said and looked apologetic.

"It's fine. I should've blocked her a long time ago. At least it's been taken care of now," Naruto said with a shrug. "Alright, let's get moving."

"Do you want me to help you drive?"

"Nah, are you kidding? I love to drive!" Naruto said with a grin and nudged Sasuke's shoulder. "I'm serious. I always hated it when I was younger and we took trips out of town or wherever and I was stuck in the back seat. The driver seat is where to be!"

"Sure, weirdo," Sasuke said with a soft smile.

"What? You don't like to drive?" Naruto asked curiously.

"I don't mind it. But I do prefer the passenger seat," Sasuke said simply.

"Then we make the perfect pair," Naruto said happily as he turned onto the freeway onramp.

Sasuke didn't reply, he simply eyed Naruto from the corner of his eyes. He didn't know why that simple phrase sent a fluttery feeling to the pit of his stomach but he liked that feeling and smiled softly when Naruto smiled in his direction.


	3. Sibling Kinks

"Who is this?" Sasuke asked about the song that was playing. They had been taking turns listening to each other's playlists and they had learned that they had similar taste in music.

"It's awesome right?" Naruto said with a grin. "I've no idea who this is, though."

"How do you not know who it is?" Sasuke said and grabbed Naruto's phone to look at the info on the song. There was a standard gray image with a musical note and the title read: untitled 1.

"Well," Naruto said and scratched his head in thought. "I was pumping gas at Sam's Club, you know. And I hear this song. At first, I thought it was coming from the overhead speakers but I figured out it was coming from the car beside me on the other side of the pump. So I told the guy that I liked the song and asked who it was. He said it was a band from Chicago called Sackbut Manward."

Sasuke chuckled and shook his head. "That is not the name of the band."

"No! I know! I can't remember the name of it for the life of me! I gushed about how good the band was and he told me to wait. He goes into his car and pulls out his laptop. He set it up on the top of the trunk and made a CD with like five songs from the band. He scribbled the name of the band with their website on it with a marker and handed it to me. By the time I got home the name and website had smeared. When I added the CD to my iTunes it just named them untitled one through five. But every time I think about the conversation, I hear something different," Naruto said and scratched his chin. "Sanctum Nosegay."

Sasuke's chuckles turned to laughter.

"No, wait. Shebang Maillots!"

"Stop," Sasuke said as he held his belly with one hand and Naruto's shoulder with his other. His body was shaking with laughter.

"No, I need to remember," Naruto told him completely unaware of Sasuke almost dying of laughter. "Slogged Mincer!"

"Moron." Sasuke placed his hand over Naruto's mouth. He was wiping tears from his eyes and pressing his lips together. 

Naruto turned over and looked at him a bit surprised to have Sasuke's hand over his mouth. It was Sasuke's hand! When he noticed that Sasuke had been laughing he grinned and turned his attention back on the road. 

"Shmmnhghh," Naruto mumbled through the hand.

"What?" Sasuke removed his hand and took a breath. He looked over at Naruto with a smile still prominent on his face.

"I said sorry about that," he said a bit sheepishly. He did sort of let himself get carried away. "I just thought if something sounded familiar maybe we could figure out their name, you know."

Sasuke tried his SoundHound app but the search came back without any results. 

"It's probably a local band in Chicago. It doesn't seem like they have a label."

"It's too bad the name smeared off the CD," Naruto said and sighed. "I would've liked to have supported the band, you know."

Sasuke smiled at him and simply nodded when Naruto turned in his direction before he faced towards the road again. 

"Do you even know what those words mean?" he asked after a minute.

"Uh," Naruto looked at him a bit confused. "They were real words?"

"Hn."

Naruto smiled sheepishly and shrugged. 

Sasuke chuckled at that and decided he liked Naruto more than he had allowed himself to think at first. He was a bit of a moron but charming all the same.

As he drove on, Naruto glanced at the other man and saw Sasuke leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed as he listened to the music.

"You know, Sasuke, last night you crashed out as soon as your head hit the pillow. So whenever you need to take a nap, let me know. I don't want to force you to listen to my chattering if you prefer to sleep," Naruto said and smiled crookedly at him. Feeling a little bad for keeping him up the night before.

"Ah, I didn't know I was that tired. It was a long day, I suppose," Sasuke said and tightened his lips when he felt a slight blush coming on. He turned towards the window instead. The fact that Naruto noticed and wanted him to be comfortable made him feel...nice. He smiled softly without even realizing it. "But thank you."

"Hey, no problem," Naruto said and pointed out some cages on the side of the freeway. Sasuke asked what they were but Naruto said he had no clue but that they reminded him of a Ferris wheel. Then he started to tell Sasuke about a time he had ridden a Ferris wheel with his parents as a kid.

During the drive, Sasuke listened to everything Naruto said even though he'd change the subject in the middle of a story sometimes because of a question or thought Sasuke would interject. Sasuke looked over at Naruto every once in awhile and they'd share a smile or laugh. He had never felt so at ease with another person that wasn't a family member. They touched a bit about his profession. Naruto learning that Sasuke had only lived in Houston since he graduated college three years back and was offered a job at the company where he worked now. Sasuke found out that Naruto had only gone to college for two years; earning an associate degree before he married. Sasuke told him it was never too late to go back and try to major in something he wanted to pursue. But Naruto waved the thought away saying he had no clue what it was he wanted out of life anymore. Sasuke simply nodded after that and decided not to press the issue.

Though, Sasuke wondered for a moment what would've happened to Naruto if he had simply passed him up without a thought. The idiot could've slowly killed himself of heat exhaustion or a heat stroke. Sasuke closed his eyes not wanting to think about that. Besides, he didn't think Naruto would be that much of an idiot. One thing was certain, however, he was glad he did stop and offered Naruto a ride. He couldn't remember the last time he enjoyed a car trip if ever. He hadn't even noticed the almost six hours that had passed until he saw the sign that welcomed them to Texas.

"How did we get here so fast?" Sasuke asked then looked at the time. "Well, it felt fast."

"It's probably due to the present company," Naruto said and rubbed his nose while he smiled arrogantly.

"Well, I'll have to agree with you on that one. I've taken shorter flights that seem to last longer," Sasuke said simply.

And it was true; there were some people who were so fucking annoying. They made his trips feel like more of a burden on occasion. Drunk people were probably the worse. They didn't shut up. They seemed to believe that everyone should hear them out or thought they were the funniest person in existence. Fucking idiots.

"Tell me, what is one of the worst things that have happened to you on a flight?" Naruto asked already having heard from Sasuke that he took frequent flights because it was part of his job.

For the most part, Sasuke seemed to enjoy flying but he didn't mention anything negative about the flights themselves. Long layovers, delayed flights, and mechanical malfunctions were not as frequent as Naruto would have thought; according to Sasuke anyways. But this was the first time Sasuke had mentioned something negative and it seemed to be, if Naruto wasn't mistaken, because of the other passengers.

"This might not seem all that bad from an outside perspective but it is one of the most frustrating things that has happened to me," Sasuke said and looked at Naruto to see if he was following. 

Naruto nodded and gestured that he continue. 

"Since the majority of the trips I take are short, none lasting more than three to four days; I only pack essentials. I can easily take a carry on with me that I place in the overhead bin. I always choose an aisle seat and place my luggage right above me. It makes exiting the plane a smoother experience.

"However, on this particular occasion the bin above my row was full, so I placed my luggage in the one in front where there was room. I didn't think anything of it. I had to do so on other occasions. I heard someone behind me complain but figured it had nothing to do with me. I settled in my chair, pulled out my headphones and tablet to read during the flight. Come mid-flight a woman in the next aisle starts waving in my direction. She says, 'Your luggage was moved to a bin somewhere over there.' She vaguely gestured to the back of the plane. But I'm thinking, who the fuck had the gall to touch my luggage? I wondered if one of the flight attendants had done it but then it didn't seem possible because they would've looked for the owner before they did. But the man sitting beside the woman was giving me a dirty look and I was able to sort of read his lips. He was complaining about me having placed my luggage in their bin. It was then that I realized he was the one who moved it."

"Are you serious? Can people really do that?"

"They do it all the time. People seem to believe that the bins are assigned to the row where they sit. But the bins are basically on a first come first serve basis. And if there's no room left, the flight attendants check your bag."

"That sucks," Naruto said. "Were you able to find your bag?"

"Well, right before the flight ended I asked the woman if she knew where my bag was exactly. She gestured vaguely again because she didn't know. She wasn't the one who moved my bag. She was simply being courteous enough to tell me that the dick of her husband had moved it. So when the plane finally lands and the flight attendants announce that we can all deplane, I walked across the aisle and sat in their row. Lucky for me the aisle seat was empty. The woman looked at me surprised and a little scared. I looked at her husband and nodded. But I didn't say anything. They gathered their things and stood up. But so did I, and I let every person pass and wouldn't let this couple exit the aisle. I was angry but kept my cool. The man behind me, however, was complaining and muttering to his wife but he didn't address me once. Then I hear her say, 'This wouldn't have happened if you wouldn't have moved his luggage. Now Sissy is going to have to drive around the airport who knows how many times before we actually get out there.' I felt bad for her, I did. But the prick had it coming. So finally once all the people from the back had passed us up, I turned to the man and said, 'I need you to get my luggage.'"

"That is so badass!"

"It didn't feel like it. I felt about this," he pinched his index finger and thumb together, "small. It was a petty move. But because of that asshole, I missed my connection and had to spend the night at the airport waiting for the next available flight. The worst part about it was that no one opened the bin where they had their luggage because no one else had placed anything up there. There was enough room for my bag. He had no real reason to move it," he said and tightened his fists. It was clear that the experience still irked him. "It is times like that when you want to lobotomize someone."

"Said no person ever," Naruto said with a chuckle. 

Sasuke regarded him with a small pout. 

"Unless you're Hannibal Lecter." 

Sasuke didn't reply, he only chuckled at that and ran a hand through his hair as if to rid himself of any lingering frustration.

Sasuke realized that he truly enjoyed talking to Naruto. The more they talked and laughed, the closer Sasuke felt to this person that—could it be true?—he'd only met the day before. And what was this warm sensation he felt in his chest area? He knew it had something to do with his proximity to Naruto. He wanted to know more about the other man. He didn't want this trip to end.

"You know, you don't ever get to hear people's darkest secrets so early in a relationship," Naruto said pensively. He frowned in Sasuke's direction. "I really hope that I'm not traveling with a serial killer."

Sasuke burst out laughing. He couldn't help it. It was true, he shouldn't have said what he said but people could be so annoying and traveling so often; well, he needed to entertain himself with ideas of how to fuck with them without actually killing them.

"I think I would've taken this conversation with a lighter heart if we would've known each other a little longer," Naruto said and nodded to punctuate his own statement.

"How much time would have sufficed before I told you that I thought about lobotomizing—not killing, mind you—people?"

"Hmm," Naruto said and rubbed his chin. "Maybe if we had already reached San Antonio."

"Why San Antonio?"

"Because it's closer to reaching our destination and it would've felt right to learn something so private about you just before we reached your home."

"I see," Sasuke said with a thoughtful nod.

"Okay, work with me on this," Sasuke said when they reached a red light after exiting the freeway. He took Naruto's hand in his. Naruto looked at him skeptically for a moment "Close your eyes for a few seconds. I'll turn back time to where I'm about to say that last sentence and I'll think it instead. Ready?"

This time, it was Naruto who burst out laughing. He wiped his eyes after a minute and proceeded to drive forward, making a right at the light to head to a gas station up ahead. 

"You know what?"

"Hm?"

"I really really like you!"

"Hn."

They were both smiling when they pulled up into the gas station.

"Let me pay for the gas this time," Sasuke told him. 

Naruto nodded and said cheerfully, "Alright!"

* * *

"...so the idiot dives, his arms straight out like he was reaching out for the duck, and lands face down on the sidewalk! Missing the pond by mere inches!" Naruto was saying and he burst out laughing which made Sasuke chuckle. 

They were sitting in a restaurant since Naruto didn't want to try to manage driving while eating. Plus Sasuke figured that Naruto needed a break even though Naruto argued that he could drive for another ten hours no problem. 

"We were all stunned for a moment. Then the duck quacks and swims away from the edge as if annoyed that someone was lying beside his pond. None of us could hold it in after that because the duck hadn't even moved when Kiba dove for it!"

Sasuke shook his head and chuckled again.

"That was my favorite place to live too. Kiba and I just clicked right from the get-go. We had so much fun together. But, man, he was grounded for a few months because of that night. He passed out and we had to carry him home. We left him in his yard. God, we were such idiots. I lived on base so the others didn't think it was a good idea for a bunch of drunk teenagers to try to get past the guard just to get me home," Naruto said and shook his head.

"That must've been rough. As if it wasn't bad enough to try and sneak out past your parents, you had to contend with army guards too," Sasuke said and after some thought added, "Then again, I would've been able to get past them no problem."

"Yeah, sure," Naruto said sarcastically. "After you knocked 'em out first."

Sasuke smirked and took another bite of his food.

"You were serious?" Naruto questioned surprised but Sasuke didn't answer, he simply took his time chewing his food.

"No, no," Naruto said and waved a hand in front of his face. 

Sasuke swallowed his food and looked at Naruto with a straight face but internally was more than a little amused. 

"Stop trying to convince me. There's no way I'd believe that!"

"I have not uttered a single word," Sasuke said and smirked again.

Naruto ignored him knowing that was true but kept talking to see Sasuke smile. He had enjoyed that part of their time together the most. Because Sasuke didn't speak much, there were moments when he was telling Naruto something about himself where he would give long-winded monologs that Naruto didn't dare interrupt for fear that Sasuke wouldn't finish his thought. But while Naruto spoke, Sasuke listened and smiled, it was rare that he would ask a question or say something. When he did, Naruto was all ears. But when Sasuke would smile, it captivated Naruto's heart and he simply enjoyed those small almost secret smiles that he would try to hide by turning away or looking down. So having Sasuke seated before him and being able to see those smiles full on, it was simply a pleasurable sight.

"I'd have to see it, to believe it," Naruto said with a nod as if to convince himself. 

Sasuke chuckled.

Naruto continued eating but kept throwing suspicious looks towards Sasuke every so often. 

"What is it?" Sasuke finally asked albeit good-naturedly. He placed an elbow on the table and rested his cheek on his fisted hand.

"Do you know how to fight? Like...martial arts and shit," Naruto asked hoping he wouldn't offend the other man.

"Yeah," Sasuke answered and smiled when he saw Naruto's reaction. A small tentative smile that quickly widened. 

"That's awesome!"

Naruto finished his meal and looked up to see that Sasuke was no longer eating. "Okay, I'm done are you?"

Sasuke nodded and they got up. He left a tip on the table and they made their way to the car.

"Naruto," Sasuke called out.

"Yeah?" Naruto asked with a small smile as he looked over his shoulder.

"Let me drive for a bit," Sasuke said and Naruto shook his head. 

"No way! You can drive from San Antonio to Houston since I have no idea where you live. But I don't plan to stop until we get to San Antonio. We can have dinner there and then keep moving."

"I thought you wanted to take some pictures along the way," Sasuke said while they both stood beside the Tahoe. 

Naruto seeing how it was about to turn into some sort of discussion, leaned against the side of the car to hear him out. 

"You can't take any pictures while driving? You haven't even stopped anywhere yet."

"I'm having a good time, Sasuke. I'm not a professional photographer; I only take pictures as a hobby. If something interests me or catches my attention, that's the only time I'm itching to bring out my camera. And right now, you interest me," Naruto said nonchalantly. 

Sasuke only looked at him, almost as if he was having trouble believing Naruto's words.

"I interest you?" he asked stupidly with widened eyes. He wanted to smack himself mentally for that idiotic question. Since when did he behave like a lovesick schoolgirl?

"Yeah," Naruto said with a slight blush and swallowed. "You're interesting and I honestly can't say I've ever had this much fun hanging out with someone."

"Okay, so you'll drive?" Sasuke said feeling completely stupid. Perhaps Naruto only meant as a friend. Either way, he didn't want to get his hopes up.

"Yeah, of course!" Naruto said with a grin and unlocked the car with a push of a button.

Sasuke walked around the car and climbed inside. Right as he was going to put on his seat belt, Sasuke's phone went off alerting him of a text. He chanced a glance to see who it was not really wanting to text anyone while he was with Naruto. He wanted to give the other man his full attention. That was before he noticed it was his brother and he remembered that he hadn't sent Itachi the picture of him and the baby. So he quickly opened his saved photos and chose the one of him with the baby. He sent the pic and looking over to see a curious Naruto, he showed him the picture.

"Cute kid," Naruto said and placed the car in reverse to get moving. 

Sasuke quickly put on his seatbelt and adjusted to a comfortable position in his seat. 

"He jumped into my lap from his mother's grasp while we were on the flight from San Diego yesterday morning. His mother had her hands full with a toddler so I held him until he fell asleep."

"Looked like you fell asleep too," Naruto said and chuckled. 

"I wasn't asleep. I was resting my eyes."

"Yeah, sure," Naruto said and chuckled. 

Sasuke was about to answer when his phone went off. 

"Ah, it's my brother. I just sent him the picture. He probably assumed the baby was mine and is now overreacting."

Sasuke answered the call on speaker so as not to leave Naruto out of the conversation. 

"Itachi."

" _Sasuke, do you even know the name of the mother?"_ Itachi asked in a smooth baritone. 

He sounded calm to Naruto's ear but Sasuke knew his brother better than to fall for that calm exterior. If Sasuke gave him a name, he'd probably have someone conduct a full background on the fictitious woman. 

Sasuke decided to play with his brother for a bit before he told him who the baby was. "How would I know her name? She simply let the kid fall onto my lap."

Naruto covered his mouth to stifle a laugh when he realized what Sasuke was playing at.

" _Little brother, please tell me you didn't keep the baby."_

"If I had, it would have been considered kidnapping. Now, why would I do that?"

" _So the baby is with his mother?"_

"As far as I know. I mean we exchanged e-mails but other than that, I didn't know what her plans were for the baby."

" _She wasn't trying to convince you that you were the father was she?"_

"No, but that was only because she didn't know I could pay the kid's way through college."

" _Sasuke," his brother said and heaved a sigh. "What did she tell you?"_

"Other than he was quiet but happy even with his handicap, a simple thank you for helping her out with him and she wished me a safe trip home."

" _His handicap?"_

"Yeah, he is deaf and mute," Sasuke said and rubbed Naruto's shoulder when he saw the man pout at hearing about the baby's condition. 

Then he addressed Naruto. "You would love him if you were to meet him. He was all smiles and just outright happy."

" _Sasuke, please tell me you didn't get attached."_

"Hn."

"I think I would like to meet him," Naruto said and smiled sadly as he thought about the baby.

" _Sasuke, who is that?"_

"Oh, a hitchhiker I picked up on the side of the road."

" _Sasuke," Itachi said with an edge to his voice._

"Hey, I wasn't hitchhiking! You offered me to travel with you, you bastard!"

Sasuke began to chuckle. 

"Watch the road, Naruto. Itachi, this is Naruto. We're driving back to Houston together and depending on how well I sell the city to him—"

"Which you haven't done yet!"

"Maybe if you didn't talk so much, I could tell you—"

"Hey, if I wasn't talking this trip would be boring! And you know it!"

Sasuke chuckled again.

" _Naruto,"_ Itachi said over the speaker.

"Yeah?" Naruto answered a bit hesitantly since he wasn't sure what kind of impression he had left on the man. Especially when Sasuke called him a hitchhiker. 

" _It's nice to meet you. Now, help me talk some sense into my little brother."_

"Oh sure, what about?" Naruto asked and grinned at Sasuke before turning his eyes back on the road.

" _About the baby."_

"Sasuke, that baby was really cute. He even looks like you a bit. Maybe you should adopt him."

Sasuke chuckled again when he heard his brother sigh. 

"I don't think that's what my brother meant, Naruto."

"Oh," Naruto said and scratched the back of his head nervously. "Heh."

"Itachi, that baby is not mine. It belonged to the woman who was sitting next to me on the flight. I only held him until her other son settled down. Other than emailing me a copy of the picture, I doubt we'll ever be in contact again," Sasuke said and looked at Naruto with a soft smile. "And Naruto, I doubt the woman wants to place her baby up for adoption. She was more than a little attached to it."

" _Good,"_ Itachi said and Naruto chuckled nervously again. 

" _Little brother, the next time you scare me like that again, I'll hogtie you and lock you in the barn."_

Before Sasuke could even think to answer, Naruto was waving a hand in front of the phone. 

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! I do not need to hear any kinky shit between brothers! Especially not before the third date!"

Sasuke promptly hung up on his brother and moved Naruto's face so it was facing the road. Luckily they weren't in any danger of crashing since there weren't any cars around and Naruto hadn't swerved once. Sasuke noted that he was a very good driver before he addressed him.

"What do you mean, 'the third date'? Is this drive considered our first?"

"Uh, sort of? I mean, especially since this morning? The way you woke me up...was I wrong? Did I misunderstand?"

"Naruto, pull over."

Naruto didn't even question the command, he simply did as was asked. Slowing down enough to move over to the side of the highway before making a complete stop. He turned on his hazard lights and placed the car in park. As Naruto was turning around to face Sasuke, who threw his ringing phone to the back seat, he was grabbed by the collar of his shirt and pulled in for a hard kiss.


	4. Just Right

"Ow!" Naruto scrunched up his eyes and reached for his forehead to rub away the pain.

"You moron!" Sasuke had one eye closed and glared at Naruto with the other. Nevermind the fact that his eyes had filled with unshed tears. "Fuck you have a hard head."

"How is it my fault? And your head is hard too!" Naruto was finally able to open his eyes to glare at the Sasuke. "What the fuck were you trying to do anyway—"

"Take a fucking guess," Sasuke responded at the same time Naruto added: "—throw me out the window?"

"What?" they said in unison. 

They looked at one another as if to give the other a chance to speak. 

Sasuke became impatient and reached a hand out to Naruto who backed up and hit his head on the window. 

"Stay still."

"But...mmngh!" Naruto finally relaxed when he felt Sasuke's lips over his. His eyes closed automatically and he allowed himself to fully enjoy the sensations Sasuke was causing within him. He completely forgot about the pain at the feel of soft, warm lips.

Sasuke was craving more than the soft kiss he was giving Naruto. He had been too eager going in with a hard kiss and suffered the consequence of Naruto's clumsiness or most likely nervous reaction. He smiled into the kiss just as Naruto's query finally registered. Right when Naruto had finally obliged by parting his lips, Sasuke bit down on Naruto's plump lower lip gently before he moved away and chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Naruto asked with a smile not having completely come down from the high of the short kiss.

"You really thought I wanted to throw you out the window?" Sasuke chuckled again. "And I was to accomplish that with the window closed and my body in the way?"

"Hey, I didn't know what was going on! I thought my comment pissed you off. You had a very serious looking expression going on. Plus, I still haven't crossed serial killer off my list of possible dangers of traveling with you," Naruto said but it was good-naturedly.

"Even if I were a serial killer," Sasuke said losing his smile and lowering his voice. He paused for effect and Naruto swallowed in expectation of his next words. He cupped Naruto's cheek gently pushing back a lock of hair behind Naruto's ear with his fingertips. "I could never kill you. I find you interesting. Plus, you taste and smell so good."

"Oh, fuck me," Naruto said and cupped his crotch to adjust himself a bit. He knew Sasuke wasn't being serious, not really, but the last phrase filled him with unbidden lust.

"Naruto…" Sasuke warned in a low voice and leaned towards the other man enough to make sure the other was listening. He slapped Naruto's cheek softly to snap him out of the moment. "I need you to start the car and get moving."

"You want this, don't ya?" Naruto joked as he squeezed himself and chuckled. 

Sasuke lips turned up slowly into an amused grin and pulled back to settle in his seat. Naruto's flirty comment was exactly what was needed to dispel some of the sexual tension that had settled between them. Naruto placed the car in drive and pulled back onto the highway. He would've liked to have played a little more but he knew it wasn't the right place or time. He was simply happy to know that Sasuke was also into him. He had never fallen for someone this fast before and he wanted it to last longer than the drive to Houston.

"So...Sasuke, you haven't told me anything about Houston or why I should consider living there," Naruto asked once they had been on the highway for a few hours.

"Isn't it obvious?" Sasuke asked as he looked over at Naruto. 

Naruto looked at him quizzically. 

"I live there and if you think I'm going to let you get away, you've got another think coming."

Naruto chuckled, pleased with Sasuke's response. "What are you going to do, kidnap me if I try to get away?"

"If I must," Sasuke answered smugly.

"Don't even think about hogtying me!"

"Is that where you draw the line, Naruto?"

"Maybe."

"I'm sure I have a collar and leash lying around that is just your size."

"A collar? Don't tell me you have a red room of pain."

Sasuke sneered. "Don't insult me, Naruto."

"You saw that movie too, didn't ya?" Naruto teased waggling his eyebrows.

"I would have preferred to gouge out my own eyes before even considering it."

"I hear ya. But sometimes you don't have a choice."

"We all have choices, Naruto. You should never have to feel obligated to make someone happy by doing something you would rather not do."

"It's not always that easy, Sasuke."

"If the person in your life doesn't give a shit about your feelings, they don't deserve to be a part of it," Sasuke told him and Naruto looked like he was about to refute his words. "You either allow the person you're with to walk all over you or you set clear boundaries of mutual respect."

"But it was a movie, Sasuke. I mean, what's the big deal? I slept through most of it anyway," Naruto said with a shrug.

"It's never a question of one movie or outing, it has more to do with how you come to the decision. Do you just give in and give your partner whatever he or she wants or do you compromise so that neither of you feels like they have the upper hand? There's nothing wrong with allowing one person to make the decisions, so long as that person isn't only looking out for their own needs and not giving a shit about their partner."

"I see what you mean," Naruto said and pressed his lips together. "You know, I wish I would have met you sooner. I might not have made the mistake of marrying someone who was like that but then again, I guess I allowed it."

"You can't learn from a mistake you've never made, Naruto. Every experience we've lived through has made us who we are right now. No matter if it was something good or bad. Whether we were assholes who became a little more of a bastard by being a 'badass' for a moment or a nice guy who became more of an idiot by allowing someone he loved to walk all over him just to make that person a little happier."

"Bastard," Naruto said with a slight pout.

"Idiot," Sasuke retorted with a small smile which Naruto mirrored. 

"Thanks."

"Hn."

Naruto turned to face him and frowned slightly at the fact that Sasuke was resorting back to his neutral response. Naruto faced the road once more and tightened his lips holding back a snicker because of what he was about to do. 

"Hn."

"What?" Sasuke asked looking at Naruto from the corner of his eyes.

"What?" Naruto repeated losing the huskiness in his voice and making it as deep as Sasuke's.

"Stop being an idiot."

"Stop being an idiot."

"Seriously, this is what you're doing?"

"Seriously, this is what you're doing?"

"Naruto," Sasuke warned turning to face him fully.

"Naruto," he repeated in the same tone Sasuke used and pressing his lips together to stop the grin that was trying to break through his features. 

Suddenly, he felt a hand push down on his knee forcing the car to go a little faster. 

"Whoa! Sasuke, what the fuck?"

"I don't believe I said that and you were being such a good parrot," Sasuke said and tsked as he pressed Naruto's knee down a bit more forcibly.

"Cut the shit, man!" Naruto was steering with one hand and trying to remove Sasuke's hand off his knee with the other. 

"Do you have something to say, Naruto?"

"Yeah, I do!" Naruto said and grinned after he turned off an alert that went off on his phone. "If you wanted to go fast, you should've just said so."

Naruto floored it and chuckled. Sasuke simply shook his head as he pulled his hand away and muttered something about idiots that have too much fun driving. 

When Sasuke looked up towards the road he saw a police car a few miles up ahead. "Naruto, it's time to slow down."

"Oh, now you want to go slow? Well, too bad. I like going fast, baby!" Naruto said and just to prove his point pushed the gas a little more.

"Fine," Sasuke said and crossed his arms over his chest.

"What do you mean 'fine'?"

"Do what you want. You're the one getting the speeding ticket," Sasuke said just as they passed the cop car and the sirens went off. 

"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit... Sasuke, I'm going to pull over and we're going to switch places. I can't get a ticket!"

"You should've thought about that before you decided to speed."

"Decided to speed? Sasuke, you bastard! You pushed my foot down!"

"Pull over and let me do all the talking."

"No! I'll talk and you pretend not to speak English."

"No."

"Come on, we're right by the border. With your black hair, you could pass for a Mexican."

"Idiot," Sasuke said shook his head. He turned towards the window to hide an amused smile. "Turn on your turn signal so that the cop knows you're slowing down."

"Yeah, yeah. I know what I'm doing. Just sit back and shut up." 

Naruto's stomach quivered because he was holding back chuckles. He had no idea how he was keeping a straight face but he pressed his lips together as he maneuvered his car onto the shoulder. 

Sasuke felt a little annoyed with Naruto at the moment but he wouldn't say anything since it was partly his fault they were being pulled over. As a matter of fact, he felt a little guilty and if Naruto couldn't talk himself out of a ticket, he had already decided to help him out with it.

The police officer took his time to step out of his vehicle. Naruto rolled the window down and sat tight. He turned to look at Sasuke and winked at him. Sasuke rolled his eyes but kept his mouth shut. He didn't want to rile Naruto up right as the police officer was walking up to his door.

"License and registration," the officer said in an even but deep voice. 

Sasuke looked over at him and all he could see was a crisp uniform and aviator glasses. The collar of his shirt was pulled up high. Sasuke frowned finding that unusual then widened his eyes when Naruto was suddenly leaning over his lap. 

"Naruto, you idiot."

"Shh! You don't speak English, remember?" Naruto said as he dug through the glove compartment.

"What are you two whispering about?" the officer asked as he bent down to look into the car. 

Naruto looked over his shoulder and shook his ass. "Nothing, officer. Just looking for the registration."

The officer lowered his glasses a little and licked his lips. An action Sasuke was none too happy about. He shoved Naruto so that he sat back in his seat and grabbed the registration that was sitting on top of all the paperwork in the glove box and threw it at Naruto's face. 

Naruto chuckled and rubbed the back of his head. He was a blushing a little as he looked at the police officer. 

"Sorry about that. But here it is."

"Thank you," the officer said and looked at the paperwork. "Mind stepping out of the vehicle for a moment, Naruto Uzumaki?"

"What seems to be the problem, officer?" Sasuke bit out. "You haven't even mentioned why you pulled us over."

"Why you ask? Because I clocked the driver going over two hundred miles per hour," the officer said calmly.

"That is total bullshit! I was only going one hundred and fifteen!" Naruto said flailing his arms. 

Sasuke pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath.

"Step out of the vehicle, now."

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Naruto said annoyed and turned off the car. He handed the keys to Sasuke. "Sorry, Sasuke. But I'll distract the cop and you make a run for it."

"I am not leaving you behind, Naruto."

"Good to know," Naruto said with a grin. "Okay, when I punch him in the face you start the car. I'll knock him on his ass then I'll run back to the car and we'll make a run for it."

"No one is making a run for it."

"Come on, Sasuke. We just need to cross the state line and never come back to Texas."

"Naruto Uzumaki, if you don't step out of the car this instant—"

"I said I was coming," Naruto said gruffly and stepped out of the car. 

As soon as he did, the officer turned him around and pressed his arm behind his back. He grabbed Naruto's other hand and cuffed his wrists together then stepped back. 

"Naruto Uzumaki, you are under arrest for grand theft auto, a hit and run, and impersonating an officer in Nevada, Colorado, and South Dakota."

"Oh, that is total bullshit! I've never even been to South Dakota! Not to mention you can't arrest me in Texas for something I did in another state, you know."

"I already have and can hold you here until your extradition. Why? Because your crimes are serious and cannot be overlooked."

Sasuke couldn't believe what he was hearing. Naruto wasn't even refuting the charges. Sasuke didn't know what moved him to step out of the car and round it but he walked directly towards the officer.

"Sir, I suggest you get back in the vehicle," the officer said as his hand reached for the gun on his holster. It didn't look like he was really reaching for it, it was more an action out of habit. 

Either way, Sasuke stood his ground and crossed his arms over his chest just to show he wasn't going to move any further.

"I will not and unless you can present me a warrant for the charges you are claiming for my client, you need to release him."

"You're his attorney?"

"Of course, he is!" Naruto interjected. Sasuke cuffed him on the back of his head and told him to be quiet. "My name is Sasuke Uchiha, private attorney at Uchiha, Uchiha, and Hatake."

"I've never heard of that law firm. I assume it is not local."

"You assume correctly. I base my practice out of Houston which is where my client is moving."

"Naruto? You're moving to Houston?" the officer asked and his voice suddenly took on a friendly tone.

"Yeah, Shino. It was sort of a last minute decision. Sasuke's going to help me settle down," Naruto said looking over his shoulder and chuckled.

"Well, when were you going to tell us? Kiba was actually planning to take a trip to visit you next week," Shino said a bit miffed.

"Well, he didn't tell me! And since when do you live out here? I thought you two were up in Denver."

"I transferred out here two weeks ago. Kiba brought the rest of my things down yesterday. Actually, hHe's still here. If we go down to the station, I can call him to meet us there," Shino told Naruto and uncuffed him.

Sasuke stood there glaring at the two idiots before him while tapping his foot on the pavement.

"I don't know, Shino. I'm not really sure what type of timetable Sasuke is…" Naruto was saying and stopped talking when he glanced over at Sasuke and noticed the murderous glare he was receiving. "Sasuke?"

"How long were you going to keep this farce going?" Sasuke asked and narrowed his eyes even more. Looking all the more dangerous than he already did. 

Shino smirked at him and Naruto swallowed nervously. 

"Um...until you got him to take the cuffs off, Counselor Uchiha?" Naruto's lips quivered slightly and Sasuke's lips turned up into a smile. 

Then they both burst out laughing.

* * *

"Uchiha, Uchiha, and Hatake? Is that even a real law firm?" Shino asked curiously from behind his desk while Sasuke sat in the chair adjacent.

Naruto had been talking to an older gentleman by the name of Asuma—who just so happened to be the Sheriff in the little city they were in three hours outside of El Paso—and his wife Kurenai when Kiba arrived. Sasuke had decided to allow Naruto to visit with his friends since he heard Kiba's name and remembered said name from quite a few stories that Naruto told him so far on the trip. The guy was obviously a good friend of Naruto's and they didn't see each other much since they didn't live near one another. Sasuke needed to be in Houston the following day to debrief his latest trip with his boss. So long as they made it to San Antonio by the end of the night, they could make the last three hours of the trip early the next morning.

"It is," Sasuke replied.

"Your family?" Shino asked and Sasuke nodded.

"My father is an entomologist," Shino said and Sasuke tilted his head to the side as he listened curiously. "I actually am as well. Received my degree in Colorado. You may be wondering why I decided to become a police officer. It's because…"

"Shut up, Shino! You're boring the living daylights out of the guy," Kiba said and clapped Sasuke on the shoulder. 

Sasuke looked up at him with a glare.

"Eh, heh heh," Naruto chuckled nervously when he caught Sasuke looking at Kiba like he wanted to kill him. 

He grabbed Kiba in a headlock and they wrestled each other for a moment until Naruto had him pinned to the ground. 

"Sasuke this is Kiba. He and Shino are best friends. Kiba this is Sasuke."

"Get off of me, Goldilocks," Kiba muttered and tried to shove Naruto's hand away from his face.

Naruto jumped off of him and laughed. "I told Sasuke about the duck incident."

"Aw, man. What the fuck did you have to do that for? He probably thinks I'm an idiot now," Kiba grumbled and sat on top of Shino's desk.

"He would've thought that regardless. Why? Because you are," Shino said simply and Sasuke snorted.

"Don't worry, Kiba. He thinks I'm an idiot too," Naruto said with a shrug.

"We should ditch these two and head to Vegas together!" Kiba said with a wide grin that Naruto mirrored. 

Sasuke cleared his throat and Naruto glanced over at him then back at Kiba. 

"Raincheck?"

"Yeah, it's probably best. I'm broke," Kiba said and complained when Shino slapped him on the head. 

Naruto chuckled as he watched his two dearest friends bicker for a moment. 

"I have to get back to work. Naruto, it was nice seeing you again. Sasuke, nice meeting you."

"Likewise," Sasuke told Shino and watched him walk out after Naruto gave him a tight hug.

"So, what's in Houston?" Kiba asked Naruto and eyed him carefully.

"Sasuke," Naruto said with a shrug.

"Aw, yeah! You got yourself a sugar daddy!" Kiba said and barked out a laugh. "I always knew your dick swung both ways."

"That's because I told you, dickwad," Naruto said and shoved him off the desk. 

Kiba stayed on his feet but had to hop a bit to regain his balance. 

"That was you? I thought it was Ino who told me. We were probably drunk, huh?"

"Ino's bi?" Naruto asked and scratched his chin. "That explains a whole lot from when we were dating."

"What do you mean? What did she do?" Kiba asked and was suddenly very curious. 

Even Sasuke sat up straighter listening to Naruto talk about his ex. 

"She didn't do anything, not really. She just happened to spot all the hot babes way before I did. And she didn't get mad when I stared at them a little too long. That shit didn't work with my next girlfriend, let me tell you."

"You total moron," Sasuke told him and shook his head.

"What?" Naruto asked confused.

"The reason why she never caught your wandering eyes was because her's were wandering as well."

"Aw, man. I wished I would've known," Naruto said with a pout. "I just thought she was super cool."

"Until she ran off with Sai," Kiba said and laughed very hard.

"Whatever, he hit on me first," Naruto said with a shrug. "I turned him down and he settled for her after I dumped her."

Kiba laughed even harder. "She dumped you, you liar! You need to show Sasuke a picture of her. Ino has blonde hair and blue eyes too," Kiba said addressing Sasuke. "I guess Sai had a thing for blondes. Eh, Uzumaki?"

"Something like that," Naruto said and looked away, sounding a bit put out.

"What is it?" Sasuke asked.

"Sai thought Naruto was a girl," Kiba said and laughed so hard he had to sit down again.

Sasuke chuckled and put a hand on Naruto's shoulder. 

"You don't look like a girl, you idiot."

"I know that," Naruto said annoyed but smiled at Sasuke anyways. "But thanks." ' _for trying to make me feel better,'_ he added internally as their gazes locked.

"Anytime."

"You two make me sick," Kiba said as he watched the two of them just stare at one another. "Go on, get out of here before I spew because of all this lovey-dovey bullshit."

"Don't be a jealous asshole," Naruto told him and punched him in the shoulder.

"Nah, man. It's cool. Besides, I have to get outta here too. I was about to feed Akamaru when I got word from Shino that you were here. I left the unopened can of dog food on the counter." He pulled out a can opener from his back pocket and waved it in front of Naruto as proof. "I just hope he doesn't get so mad at me that he tears up Shino's furniture. Either that or he's drooling all over the kitchen floor staring at that can of food. Kinda like your man over here. I bet he's dying for some _alone_ time," Kiba said and wrapped his hands around his own torso and made a kissy face.

"You really are an idiot," Sasuke told him and shook his head in amusement while Kiba's entire frame shook with laughter.

"We do have a seven-hour drive ahead of us," Naruto said with a small pout and then hugged his friend saying goodbye for a few minutes. 

Kiba complained about Shino moving and then added he was moving back home to Los Alamitos since his Ma was hounding him to help out at her animal clinic. He simply couldn't say no to his Ma so back to California from Colorado he would go. 

With the last wave goodbye to Kiba as he exited the small building, Naruto went into Asuma's office dragging Sasuke along with him to say his goodbye to the older man and his wife.

* * *

On the drive to San Antonio, Naruto finally fessed up that he knew it was Shino on the highway beforehand. He told Sasuke that since he was constantly moving around he made sure to have his phone alert him whenever he was near any close friends. And he did know that Shino was a cop but he didn't know that he had moved to Fort Stockton. Either way, he couldn't resist having some fun. He was glad Sasuke had played along and not been a total dick. Sasuke could've easily taken off in his car or allowed Naruto to simply be arrested before he did but he didn't. The fact that he stepped up and pretended to be an attorney to get Naruto off the hook, well, Naruto hadn't gotten over that. All he knew was that act of chivalry of Sasuke's had embedded into his heart and he would find a way to repay the gesture as many times as he possibly could before Sasuke turned him away.

Naruto told Sasuke how he knew Asuma and how happy he was to see him again. And told him a bit more about Shino and Kiba, who he had kept in touch via Skype after he moved away from them. He told Sasuke how he had never been so angry about moving than he had been that particular time. He was only months away from graduating high school and his parents wouldn't let him stay with the Inuzuka's until he did. They didn't want to miss his graduation ceremony because they wouldn't be able to return to California once they were settled at the new base.

"It's hard to jump into a new school when you don't speak the native language at first," Naruto told Sasuke. "It gets easier with time. You learn how to get by quicker at least. And depending on how much time you spend there, you can at least hold conversations with people before you move somewhere else. My last two months of High School, it was basically a walk in the park because I had learned some Spanish back in Cali. And all the teachers were very nice and patient with me since I wasn't fluent in the language. But it really did suck that I was so far from the friends I had spent the last three years with, you know."

"Where did you move to?"

"Puerto Rico," Naruto said with a sad smile. "At first, I wasn't going to attend school and threatened to drop out. But my mother is scary so I was dressed and ready to go to school before she had to tell me twice."

Sasuke chuckled at that. He had never tested his mother but he had his father and the result was very similar. The man was intimidating and he did as was told or corrected any mistakes without having to be told twice.

"But there was another family stationed there with a son my age. Gaara. We actually got along very well. His father was very strict, an intimidating sort of man. Well, so was Gaara at first. But once they had a taste of the Uzumaki charm, they were putty in my hands."

"The Uzumaki charm?" Sasuke asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, we actually got into a bloody brawl when we first met and I sort of won. Heh."

"Sort of? How do you sort of win?"

"Uh, he passed out a couple of seconds before I did," Naruto said and shrugged. Sasuke began to laugh. "The point is, I was still standing when he fell."

"You are such a loser."

"Maybe," Naruto said and chuckled. "My parents were furious. I mean, I had gotten in trouble before that but I had never been in that kind of fight, you know. We were almost expelled but Gaara's father could be very persuasive when he wants to be. And Gaara apologized, taking all the blame for the fight and his behavior changed completely not only with teachers but also with the other students."

"Why did you fight him?"

"Gaara was a...bully? He didn't exactly pick on people but if someone was rude to him, he wouldn't let them walk away. He'd rope them into a fight regardless if they wanted to or not. And that day, he had picked a fight with some guy who accidentally knocked over his lunch. I saw it all happen from afar. He knocked the guy on his ass and then the guy's girlfriend got between them. Gaara actually told her to get out of the way but when she didn't move, he just started to choke her. Everyone else was afraid to step in and do something. But I was a little scared that he would actually kill her, you know. So I ran over there and called him a pussy for picking on a girl. He tossed her aside and we got into it after that."

"Hn."

"You can say that again."

Sasuke snorted and Naruto laughed.

"It was because of Gaara that I ended up in Arizona. We were both sick of all the water. I actually had nightmares about the swell coming in and sweeping me away. It rained so much too. You were not only surrounded by water but the sky tried to drown you too." Sasuke chuckled and shook his head. "I'm serious! And if it wasn't raining, it was so fucking humid. I'm sure Puerto Rico had nice weather at some point during the time I lived there but I only remember the rain and humidity. Anyway, Gaara's family had been stationed in Phoenix at one point and he said he missed the desert so we both applied to ASU and got in. He's still out there but moved to Scottsdale. He lives so far north that he's practically in the desert."

"Weren't you as well?"

"Yeah, but not by my own choice." Naruto's eyes widened when he realized what he had said. Sasuke didn't respond. He simply eyed him from the peripheral. "Well, you know what I mean."

"Hn."

Naruto decided to shift the attention to Sasuke instead. Asking him about his brother and his family. Itachi was an attorney who worked out of New York City with his partners Shisui, their cousin, and Kakashi Hatake. He lived in Long Island where Sasuke had grown up. Sasuke didn't say much about growing up there or mentioned having any friends. He did say he focused on his studies giving his education priority rather than trying to have a social life. Basically, outside of his family, he didn't relate well to people. Or simply didn't care to.

Sasuke said he had almost gone to law school but one of his professors convinced him to change his career path so that he wasn't simply following his brother blindly. Then he decided right after he was hired at the company where he worked that he wouldn't be a consultant for long. He had actually partnered up with three of his closest friends to start up a business venture of their own. It was in its starting year and was already doing well. But he said he didn't want to tell Naruto anything about it because he would rather show it to him. That piqued Naruto's interest and he was now very eager for Sasuke to show him this secret side of himself.

When Sasuke began to talk about his parents, Naruto couldn't believe how similar the couple sounded to Gaara's parents. But however strict Sasuke's father sounded, Naruto was sure there simply was no comparing the two. His mother sounded very nice and sweet but still was just as scary as his own. Although, Naruto thought that was simply how they showed how much they loved their kids. A mother's love was no joke. And it just so happened that both their parents were living near one another. Sasuke's parents had retired and moved to Japan right about the same time Naruto's parents were stationed there. And even though his parents were in Okinawa and not on the largest island as Sasuke's parents, what were the odds that they were both out there? And from what Naruto's dad told him, they would stay in Japan until he retired.

Was it considered a miracle that he would meet Sasuke right as he decided to get his shit together and leave town? Or maybe it was the sort of fateful moment his mother always told him about and he had stupidly attributed it to finding Sakura. The way things had ended with her, he thought it was a cruel joke fate had played on him. First making him believe he had found the one and then crushing his love into nothing making him wonder what point fate was trying to make. But Sasuke's words put it all into perspective for him. It wasn't fate, it was a choice he had made. One choice after another that lead him right into Sasuke's arms. Which just so happened where he was now. 

They had made it to San Antonio and were staying in a four-star hotel of Sasuke's choosing. But as soon as they walked into their room, Sasuke had quite literally swept him off his feet. He lifted Naruto up from his waist and pinned him to the nearest wall just as Naruto wrapped his legs around Sasuke.

"I guess Kiba was right," Naruto joked when their mouths separated. "You really couldn't wait to get me alone."

"Shut up and kiss me."

Naruto laughed but quickly sobered up when Sasuke began to mouth and suck at his neck. He let out a moan and began to take off Sasuke's shirt. Sasuke moved his head back enough so that Naruto could remove it completely. They locked gazes for a moment and unspoken words passed between them. It was then that Naruto moved in to kiss Sasuke gently at first and then harder until they were both panting.

"Bed. Now," Naruto said and Sasuke smirked. 

"Thought you'd never ask."


	5. Forty Winks

"Naruto…" 

It was a whisper that was trying to break through Naruto's subconscious mind. He groaned and stretched. His eyes opened a sliver allowing light to blind him momentarily and he scrunched up his eyes. His head was still heavy with sleep and he tried to roll over to snuggle into the blankets but a hand gripped his shoulder. 

"Hey, I know you're still tired but we need to get moving. You could sleep on the way. Get your ass up."

What had started off as a soft whisper ended up as a hard command. Naruto's eyes opened fully and he turned to face his interlocutor with a glare. 

"What the fuck kinda sweet wake up call is that?"

"The kind that gets you up and moving," Sasuke responded with a smirk. He was standing beside the bed. 

Naruto looked him over; Sasuke had already showered and dressed. Behind him, there were breakfast plates complete with warming covers on the table in the sitting area and also two to-go cups of still steaming cups of coffee. 

"What's going on?"

"I need to be at the office by nine," Sasuke said and pointed at the time displayed on the clock on the nightstand. "It's five and we have a three-hour drive ahead of us. Not sure if you're hungry, there's food if you are or we can leave and pick up something on the way. Either way, we need to be out of here in fifteen."

"Alright, let me just shower first," Naruto said rubbing his face and getting up and out of bed.

"Five minutes," Sasuke said as he leered at Naruto's naked form.

"Bossy bastard." Naruto practically stomped his way into the bathroom pretending to be mad. 

Sasuke had gone out of his way to get him some breakfast. Who knew how long he had been awake to get himself and everything ready for Naruto so that they could simply eat and go. 

"Hn."

"Aw, I love you too sugar booger," Naruto said with a huge grin as he looked at Sasuke from over his shoulder.

Sasuke allowed a short chuckle escape his lips and sat down at the table to go over his notes while he waited for Naruto to come out of the shower. He hadn't touched his food because he wanted to eat with Naruto. 

Sasuke had allowed Naruto to sleep as long as possible but they really did need to get moving soon. Sasuke realized that perhaps giving Naruto only ten minutes to eat was asking for too much. He didn't want the guy to choke on his food. So in order to give them an extra twenty minutes of leeway, he decided to text a friend to have him pick up one of his business suits and have it waiting in his office when he arrived.

"We should've gassed up when we got here," Naruto said when he sat down at the table exactly five minutes later. 

He had learned growing up that when he was asked to be ready in five minutes he needed to be ready in five minutes. He was glad when he no longer had to abide by a set schedule. Breakfast at 0600 was left in his past. But he did feel bad that he didn't know that Sasuke had to be at work that same day. Naruto didn't even think to ask if he needed to be in Houston by a certain day. He couldn't say he regretted the night before but they were cutting it close.

"It's fine. We have time," Sasuke said as he set aside his work notes and took the warming covers off the plates.

"Ooh, chocolate chip pancakes. Thanks, Sasuke!" Naruto said happily and dug in.

* * *

Sasuke was driving down the highway and the only sounds keeping him company was the music coming through the car speakers and Naruto's light snores in the background. Sasuke smiled and pulled out his phone to snap a quick picture of Naruto as he slept. His placid features and slight pout that made his lips appear a little fuller were too good to pass up. He set his phone on the center console and turned his eyes back on the road. 

They were making good time. They had left San Antonio early enough that they didn't hit any traffic but he knew heading into Houston they would arrive in the midst of rush hour. Sasuke paid that thought no mind, he was confident that he would arrive on time.

Sasuke felt his belly warm at the memory of why he had cut time so short, to begin with. He was aware that they could've driven straight through to Houston the night before even if it meant arriving past midnight. It wouldn't have mattered how late they would've arrived, he was certain he could've woken up early as he had this morning. But if they would've done that then the night he spent with Naruto would've never happened. Having that sweet hard body under him, above him, riding him, fucking him for those short blessed hours was not something he would ever regret. He only wished that what he had said the day before was even remotely possible. He wasn't willing to let Naruto go but he couldn't exactly kidnap the man. No matter how Sasuke felt, it really was frowned upon. Not to mention he didn't want to hold on to someone who very clearly wanted to explore all his alternatives. And of course, Sasuke being the only reason for Naruto to stay in Houston wasn't enough no matter how Sasuke spun it.

If there was something Sasuke knew about relationships, it was that they didn't work if one or both them didn't have anything else in their lives but the person they were with. If Sasuke wanted Naruto to stay with him and be happy, he would need to find a reason for Naruto to stay in the city. Another reason besides him. Naruto needed to have a life outside of him. Naruto deserved that no matter how much Sasuke wanted Naruto to depend on him, it wasn't healthy. Maybe for now a hobby would do and Naruto had his photography. 

Sasuke smiled as he remembered that because it just so happened that he could use a photographer not to mention a publicist for the business venture that Sasuke had told Naruto about. And who else but Naruto could fill both because if there was one thing—of many Sasuke was sure—that Naruto liked to do and did well, was talk non-stop. Sasuke wondered if he could use those vocal skills of Naruto's in social media outlets. Well, if there was someone who could figure that out it would be Shikamaru. But at least, for the time being, Sasuke could definitely use him as a photographer for marketing purposes. He smirked as he thought about offering Naruto a job in order to have him stick around a little longer. Well, long enough to figure out what it would take to keep him at his side in a more permanent manner.

"What are you smiling about?" Naruto asked suddenly. He stretched and yawned as Sasuke looked him over with a smirk. "Oh, just the many different types of knots and lashings I know."

"Huh?" Naruto asked as he looked at Sasuke warily. "What are you, some kind of boy scout?"

"Naruto, after last night I would have assumed you knew damn well that I do not have a single shred of boy-scout like mannerisms in me."

"Heh," Naruto said and grinned. A nice flush covered his features as the memories of the night before came back to him. He felt the stirrings of need begin to build and decided that it was best to change the subject. "How long did I sleep for?"

"An hour."

"Damn, usually, when I wake up, I stay awake. I think those pancakes might've been laced with some sort of sleeping powder."

"Hn."

"That was a clever attempt at being evasive but I'm onto you, Uchiha," Naruto said and narrowed his eyes at Sasuke attempting to appear shrewd.

Sasuke caught the gesture and chuckled. "Even though you're blonde, you're no Beatrix and I am no Buck."

"First Hannibal and now Kill Bill. I don't know what to make of that."

"That I like good films?" Sasuke said with a shrug.

"My favorite movie is The Little Mermaid."

The atmosphere suddenly became very quiet and Sasuke turned to look at Naruto who was looking straight ahead. It took Sasuke a moment to realize that Naruto was trying too hard to be serious and that it was most likely a joke. He gave in to his initial reaction and burst out laughing.

"Hey, bastard," Naruto said with a small pout as he turned to look at Sasuke. "Don't make fun of me!"

Sasuke abruptly stopped laughing and looked at Naruto from the corner of his eye. 

' _He was serious?'_ His eyes had widened and he was speechless. What could he say?

"Gotcha!" Naruto said and began to giggle then grinned widely.

"Tch! Idiot," Sasuke said with a small smile. Even though he was a little annoyed he couldn't help how contagious Naruto's smile was.

"But I do like The Little Mermaid. I can watch again and again," Naruto said with a chuckle.

"Hn."

"How far back do you think 'hn' predates? As far back as the stone age?" Naruto said as he scratched his chin in thought.

"I wouldn't know. According to my mother, it was my first word," Sasuke said coolly.

"Are you shitting me?" Naruto asked wide eyed.

"Hn."

"Aren't you the cheeky bastard?" Naruto said with a slight pout. 

Sasuke simply chuckled in response.

* * *

Naruto had fallen asleep again but this time in the middle of a sentence. Sasuke found it amusing and let him sleep. They hadn't gotten much sleep since they had crashed a little after one. He tried not to think about it but his mind automatically supplied glimpses of the night before. He felt the stirrings of arousal and shook his head to rid himself of those thoughts. Besides, he would have Naruto to himself once they arrived. Sasuke couldn't wait to have that glistening taut body at the touch of his fingers just as he had the night before. And just as he thought that Naruto moaned. Sasuke smirked at the thought that he wasn't the only one reminiscing of the night before. Sasuke had to concentrate on driving but Naruto allowed his mind to fill his dream with memories of the two of them.

 

_Sasuke tossed Naruto onto the bed and laughed at the disgruntled look on Naruto's face. He quickly leaned forward and began to unbutton Naruto's pants right as he had sat up and removed his shirt. Sasuke wanted to stare at that body a little longer but the tightness in his own pants was screaming for attention. He nibbled Naruto's cock over his boxers and Naruto let himself fall back on the bed and groaned._

_"Sasuke, come on man, don't slow down. I really need this right now. We can go slow during the next round." Naruto had said sounding so fucking sexy in his deep husky voice that was thick with lust._

_"I wasn't planning on going slow. I just needed to do something while I took off my pants."_

" _Good," Naruto had said and reached down to remove his boxers when Sasuke stood back up. "Do you have lube?"_

" _I don't want to waste time looking for it. Let's just use lotion," Sasuke had said and moved quickly to the counter by the sink and grabbed it._

" _Fine by me," Naruto had said and chuckled._

_Naruto didn't have the patience to be completely prepared. Right before Sasuke could add a third finger, he sat up and took hold of Sasuke and quickly reversed their positions before he straddled Sasuke and took hold of Sasuke's cock in his grip. He pumped it a few times and positioned himself over it._

_"I can't wait any longer," Naruto had told him and began to lower himself onto Sasuke's cock._

_"Fuck, yeah!" Sasuke had replied and taken hold of Naruto's hips to be ready to help Naruto when he began to ride him._

_Once Naruto was fully seated, they both groaned. It didn't take long before Naruto began to move his hips and Sasuke was ready to help him come down with more force._

_"Sasuke, fuck!"_

 

Sasuke's phone rang right as another moan escaped Naruto. He laughed and checked who was calling. It was his brother. He had no choice but to answer since it wasn't like his brother to call two days in a row and they hadn't really spoken the day prior. Sasuke briefly wondered what it was he needed to tell him as he answered the call.

"Itachi," Sasuke said calmly and eyed Naruto from the corner of his eye. He figured he should at least move the phone over to his left ear even though that probably wouldn't help if Naruto's voice gained volume.

" _Little brother, it isn't nice to hang up on your brother and then decline his call,"_ Itachi said in a mocking tone.

"I don't think it's nice for an older brother to tell his younger brother that he's going to hogtie him in front of company," Sasuke countered a bit annoyed.

" _Well, he wasn't technically in front me now, was he?"_ Itachi said sounding more amused than Sasuke would've liked.

"It's just like a lawyer to avoid feeling accountable due to an escape clause."

" _You say it as if being a lawyer is a sin."_

"Hn."

 

_Naruto could feel Sasuke shudder more and more the deeper his cock went into him with each thrust. He was in heaven and reached around to take Sasuke's cock in his grips to begin pumping him. He knew Sasuke was close and he could feel his own balls coiling up. Sasuke groaned and pushed back with more force to meet Naruto's thrusts._

_"Harder…nnngh...faster, please."_

_Naruto couldn't help but answer his request and gripped Sasuke's hips with both hands. He began to pummel into him faster than before. Sasuke took hold of his own cock and began to pump furiously. "_

_Narutooo, hah hah!"_

_Sasuke groaned just as he spilled his seed over the bed. Naruto hadn't needed much more to send him over the edge, he had only been holding back from coming until Sasuke was able to reach his completion. And just as his cock was being squeezed with Sasuke's orgasm, he finally came shouting Sasuke's name with a moan._

 

Itachi began to chuckle because of Sasuke's response just as Naruto called out to Sasuke with a loud drawn out moan.

" _Little brother, did I catch you at a bad time?"_ Itachi said and Sasuke could hear the smirk through the phone.

"No," Sasuke said and held the phone to his ear with his shoulder so that he could grab hold of the steering wheel with his left hand. He clamped a hand over Naruto's mouth with his right and tightened his lips before he shouted at the idiot. "What do you want?"

" _Me or Naruto?"_ Itachi said and chuckled.

"Itachi, I'm driving and Naruto's asleep on the passenger seat. Is there something you needed? I doubt you would have called two days in a row if it wasn't something important."

" _You're right. I wanted to finalize our plans to visit our parents in Japan. Have you given your two-week notice at work?"_

"I have but I have one more week after today."

" _Good. I set up our trip for three weeks from now. I think that should be sufficient time for the trial I have pending to be finalized. So if you don't have any objections, I would like to call my travel agent before I start my work day."_

"Can you hold off making the call until after I talk to Naruto?"

" _Why do you need to talk to him? Sasuke, are you saying—?"_

"Itachi! Don't get ahead of yourself," Sasuke said quickly and annoyed.

" _Very well. But I don't understand, Sasuke."_

Sasuke sighed. He held his phone with his hand again having had removed his other hand from Naruto's mouth and gripped it on the steering wheel. 

"His parents are up in Japan as well. I just want to ask if he would like to join us if you don't mind."

" _No, not at all,"_ Itachi answered and Sasuke could hear his brother's smile through those words.

"Thank you. I'll call you back first thing tomorrow."

" _Alright, little brother. Drive safely."_

"I will," he said.

The music hadn't started up again when he ended the call. The car was complete silent save for the soft sound of the wind as he drove.

"For a second I thought you were trying to suffocate me," Naruto said suddenly and made Sasuke flinch.

"Fucking shit, Naruto!" Sasuke said dropping his phone and gripping the material of his shirt over his chest. "I thought you were asleep."

"Hey, are you okay? I didn't mean to scare. I'm kinda a light sleeper, you know. And you clapping a hand over my mouth, well that woke me up. So you were talking to your brother again?" Naruto said it all quickly while he gripped Sasuke's shoulder. 

Sasuke controlled his breathing and looked over at Naruto for a beat. "You were moaning in your sleep, moron."

"Oh, heh. Sorry about that," Naruto said with a slight blush. "So what do you want me to join you in doing?"

"Itachi is planning a trip to Japan three weeks from now so that we can visit our parents." Sasuke was saying when he was cut off by a shout from Naruto. 

"Hell, yeah! I'm in!"

"Hn."

"You know, your brevity really astounds me," Naruto said lowering his voice but he hadn't lost his grin.

Sasuke snorted but didn't reply. He was too happy to say anything at the moment.

"But, um, I don't know if I could afford to go with you," Naruto said sheepishly and turned away since he knew his face had lit up with a blush. "I can ask my parents to lend me some money—"

"Don't worry about it," Sasuke said and lightly shoved Naruto to get him out of his funk. "Itachi is paying for everything."

"Wha…?"

"It's for my birthday. Plus, he's a filthy rich lawyer," Sasuke said wickedly. 

' _Now he's going to be held accountable for being a dick by paying for the whole trip, that's for damn sure.'_

"Uh, Sasuke? You're kinda scaring me with that face you're making, you know," Naruto said nervously.

"He'll pay alright."

"Um, okay. Just stop smiling like that," Naruto told him and Sasuke looked at him with a pout. "That's so much better. Thank you."

"Whatever."

"Well, don't get all butthurt," Naruto told him waving a fist at him. He made a sour face and tapped on Sasuke's shoulder quickly.

"What is it?"

"I really have to pee," Naruto told him and began to bounce in his seat. "Like now!"

"How old are you three?" Sasuke said and pulled over on the side of the road. Naruto jumped off and undid his fly to quickly relieve himself. 

"You idiot, you could've at least opened the back door first."

"Bastard! I was in a hurry! And it's not my fault! It was because of the coffee. It always goes right through me," Naruto said as he zipped up and jumped back into the car.

"Alright, no more coffee while we travel."

"So where are we anyway?"

"We're probably an hour out."

"The weather is nice out here, you know. For being summer and all."

"Hn."

"You agree with me wholeheartedly, you say? Well, I don't blame you."

Sasuke eyed him for a moment and then chuckled as he pulled back onto the highway.

* * *

They were nearing their destination in Houston and just as Sasuke had suspected, they had a run-in with traffic. But it wasn't so bad. At least they were still moving and not completely stuck. They had spoken some more about the trip and Naruto was becoming more and more excited about it. Not only because he would be meeting Sasuke's family but also because he would be able to visit his parents as well. It turned out that before Sasuke had known that Naruto's parents were in Okinawa, the two brothers had been planning to go there with their parents. Sasuke had told him to call his parents and have them arrange to spend at least a few days with them at the hot spring resort they were going to stay at. It wouldn't be Sasuke's first time going out there but it would be Naruto's and Sasuke had a feeling he would like it.

"Naruto?"

"Yeah, Sasuke?" Naruto answered without taking his eyes off their surroundings since they were now coming close to the downtown area.

"Do you have a portfolio for your photography?" Sasuke asked curiously.

"Um," Naruto said turning to look at him a bit confused. "I left the hard copy at home but I have the same pictures that are in my portfolio on my laptop as a backup."

"That's good. I was thinking that you should come up with me to my office so that you could meet a friend of mine," Sasuke said and eyed him carefully. "I want him to look at your work and give you an informal interview."

"What? But look at how I'm dressed. Could I at least change?" Naruto said sounding a bit panicky.

"Calm down, I said informal, didn't I? Besides, I don't have time to go home. We're going straight to my place of work," Sasuke said and shrugged. "Besides, you already met the boss. If you want to work in Houston, you have a job. My friend, Shikamaru, simply needs to talk to you to figure out which of the two positions available will be right for you. Possibly both."

"Both? Wait, hold on a minute!" Naruto said and flailed his arms. "When did I meet this boss guy?"

"Naruto, you're sitting right next to him," Sasuke said and looked at Naruto with a smirk.

"You'll be my boss?"

"Well, one of them anyways. I told you, my friends and I started our own business. I'll show it to you after my meeting today. You just need to hang around the office with a few guys until I'm done. Is that alright?"

"Yeah," Naruto said and grinned. "Thanks, Sasuke. You know, you're pretty awesome."

"Hn."

"Well, you don't have to be a dick about it," Naruto said with a pout and when he heard Sasuke snort, he chuckled. 

Giving Sasuke a hard time about his monosyllable responses was never going to get old.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot of the stories that Naruto tells are real experiences only embellished slightly. The details of his divorce are based on true events. Busybody ex, true story. His decision to go on a trip by foot through the desert southwest is based on a dream I had. I went on a trip by foot with a cat, off the shoulder of the interstate and I was offered a ride by a handsome, charming man, we got along great, flirted, he lived in Houston and was loaded, and we ended up getting married. Date shakes, ostrich burgers, true story and no, I never tasted them. My friend still turns green at the mention of ostrich burgers. Hawaii trip, eating free appetizers for dinner, based on a true story. The name of the band from Chicago I still can't remember it. The small terrier story, also true, but the other person didn't get bitten even though the person who jumped in the bed of the truck wished he had. Diving for ducks and missing the pond while drunk, true. My friends are idiots.
> 
> Sasuke's layover was based on true happenings. My plane landed at an airport two and a half hours away from where I lived—engine troubles. I chose to forgo waiting for a flight the following day even with a hotel voucher. Luckily, I knew someone who lived in the city who could pick me up and drive me half way home and had someone who lived in my town to pick me up at the halfway point. It was ridiculous. But at least I was safe. The luggage being moved, based on true events. The baby thing, someone I knew saw me while I was out of town with my family with a baby—I was carrying her to the bathroom to change her diaper—that my mom was babysitting and he assumed the baby was mine. I rolled with it. I was sixteen at the time and thought it was funny instead of being offended. When he saw me again and asked about the baby, I said 'what baby?' and walked away. When I ran into his best friend, he wanted to know why the moron thought I had a baby because he knew it wasn't true. We laughed about it after I told him what happened.


	6. Bravo Juliet

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last chapter was the end of the story. This chapter is an extra scene I added after the fact...

Naruto headed up to the third floor where the offices were to notify Sasuke he was finished for the day and was ready to head to dinner. It was close to seven and he wasn't sure if Sasuke had been waiting for him to finish with the interview he had with the entertainment magazine. But he didn't want to call him to ask just in case he was busy. When he arrived, it was eerily quiet. The overhead fluorescent lights were turned off and only a few lamps were on.

"Naruto," a lazy voice said behind him.

He started and turned.

"Are you looking for Sasuke?"

"Shikamaru?" Naruto said a bit confused but his face quickly changed from furrowed brows to an open face with a wide grin. "Hey! How are you?"

"Pretty good. I was heading out and saw you standing here," Shikamaru said and eyed him patiently.

"Yeah, I was wondering if Sasuke was still here," Naruto said looking around. "The place is empty."

"Well, it's late and the club is already open so everyone is either done for the day or down at the club floors. But Sasuke's in his office," Shikamaru said and pointed behind him. Naruto saw a single office with the light on. "Try to get him to leave. He's been here since six this morning."

"Shit," Naruto said and wide-eyed. He remembered Sasuke saying something earlier that morning about some contracts he had to go over but he didn't think Sasuke had left that early. "I guess running a business is pretty demanding, huh?"

Shikamaru shrugged and began to walk towards the elevator. "It was nice seeing you again, Naruto. You have a goodnight."

"Thanks, Shikamaru!" Naruto said and waved. He walked towards Sasuke's office but before he was able to knock, the door opened and he was yanked inside.

"Took you long enough," Sasuke said in Naruto's ear while he had him pinned to the wall.

Naruto's breathing began to quicken as did his heartbeat. He didn't want to show how quickly Sasuke got him aroused so he took in a deep shaky breath.

They had only been in Houston for a week and a half and Naruto hadn't even thought about finding his own place. Living with Sasuke even though they hadn't known each other long almost seemed too good to be true. Kiba had told him he'd help him move his things from the house but it wasn't much. Since Gaara lived closer and had packed Naruto's things for him, he shipped Naruto's belongings to him and had already sold all the furniture. Then he used the money that he made from the sale to ship Naruto's things and any extra had already been deposited into Naruto's account. Naruto thought that Gaara was more than happy to get those things done for him since Sakura was too intimidated by him to ask about Naruto. His ex-father-in-law had but Gaara simply glared at the man instead of answering. Naruto was happy he had such good and loyal friends.

Sasuke kissed Naruto slowly and then they simply looked at one another. Naruto lost all train of thought momentarily.

Even though they lived together, they didn't exactly work together. Naruto worked mostly from home handling the PR side of the business on social media sites and taking photos to upload on social media sites and to use in their advertisements. Sasuke worked late nights and sometimes had to go into the office early, depending on what was required of him at the time. Naruto worked throughout the day. He scheduled posts in the morning and usually spent his days exploring the city. He'd meet up with Sasuke for lunch unless he had to meet up with someone for the business. They always got together for dinner, usually at home. Naruto had found out early on that Sasuke was affectionate, caring, and surprisingly upfront about his intentions and expectations of their relationship. It was odd for Naruto since his previous relationship had been completely different. But it gave him a pleasant feeling that their relationship wasn't just about sex and that Sasuke truly cared about him already.

"Yeah, I got caught up with...mmnngh," Naruto began when Sasuke's question finally registered until he was cut off by Sasuke's lips.

Sasuke's hands began to stray from Naruto's biceps down his sides and to the fastenings of Naruto's pants. Naruto was all for them having sex but doing it in Sasuke's office seemed a little risky. What if someone walked in on them? But he supposed that was part of the thrill. Even though it seemed like the entire floor was empty when he had walked in. Naruto's pants ended up pooled at his ankles and Sasuke began to lift Naruto's shirt. Sasuke's hands pressed over Naruto's abs and pecks in the process. Sasuke began to kiss down Naruto's neck as he rocked his hips into Naruto's.

"Ahn, shit, Sasuke," Naruto said and breathed hard.

Sasuke grabbed one of Naruto's hands so that he would hold up his own shirt. He then began to kiss down Naruto's chest, taking the time to thoroughly abuse each nipple. Naruto moaned and grabbed hold of Sasuke's nape. He had spread his legs a little more to allow Sasuke more access after Sasuke had pushed down his boxers.

"Sasuke, are you sure that this is a good idea? Fuck, Sasuke...that feels good."

"Hn," Sasuke replied and swirled his tongue around Naruto's navel before nipping around it as he continued to fondle Naruto's balls allowing his fingers to tease Naruto's hole every once in awhile. He let his other hand slide down slowly from Naruto's hips to his cock and began to pump him until Naruto was fully hard. Then he got down on his knees and swiveled his tongue around Naruto's head tasting his precum. He moaned at the taste which only fueled him to take more of Naruto into his mouth. Naruto groaned and arched his back. He leaned his head back and closed his eyes. He didn't think he could take the sight of Sasuke kneeling before him and sucking him off. But he couldn't resist looking.

Their gazes locked for a moment and Sasuke swallowed around Naruto's head. Naruto moaned even harder and swallowed hard. He wanted a taste of Sasuke as well, but he couldn't think anymore and just let himself feel. Sasuke encouraged Naruto to rock his hips and fuck his mouth by pulling his hips back and forth. And without needing to be guided any further, Naruto began to thrust his hips to plunge into Sasuke's wet hot mouth.

"Fuck, Sasuke!" Naruto said and couldn't hold back. He began to thrust faster and harder. Sasuke kept up with him as best he could until Naruto suddenly pushed in deeper. Sasuke tilted his neck and swallowed trying to relax his throat but it had the opposite effect. He began to gag and held on to Naruto's hips but Naruto didn't stop his movement. Sasuke knew Naruto was oh so close. Naruto moaned loudly and Sasuke groaned. Right, when he thought he couldn't hold his breath any longer—his eyes were tearing and Naruto was pounding into his mouth mercilessly—Naruto tensed and suddenly, hot cum shot into the back of Sasuke's throat.

Naruto's knees felt weak and he slid down until he was sitting on the floor before Sasuke. Sasuke leaned forward onto Naruto's shoulder and breathed deeply to try to catch his breath. Naruto didn't notice, he was panting and then he started laughing.

"Sasuke...that...was...fucking amazing!"

Sasuke smirked and looked up so that he could look at Naruto in the eyes. They gazed at each other for a moment, their eyes saying what their voices couldn't. Sasuke leaned forward and kissed Naruto softly but Naruto wasn't having that. He opened his mouth further and deepened the kiss. They made out for a little while until Sasuke pulled back. He caressed Naruto's cheek gently and smiled softly. Then he stood up and pulled Naruto up with him. They smiled at one another and Sasuke bent down to pull up Naruto's boxers and pants.

"I thought your job was to take off my clothes not put them on."

"Hn," Sasuke said as he felt his way up Naruto's legs and thighs until he reached his crotch. "Since I'm already dressing you, I don't think you'd mind if I tuck you in."

Naruto wiggled his hips. "Don't think I'll make it easy for you."

Sasuke snorted and leaned in to kiss him again. Naruto was too distracted by the kiss that before he knew it, he was tucked in and zipped up.

"I'm taking you out to dinner and then we're going home so that I can use your body any way I like."

"I'll let you do that if you talk dirty to me all throughout dinner."

"I don't think you can handle that."

"Hmph!"

"You won't make it through dinner without coming and I won't even have to touch you."

"Oh, it's on now!"

Sasuke started to laugh and pulled Naruto with him to the elevator. Once they were inside, Sasuke leaned in and whispered a few choice words in Naruto's ear. Naruto held onto Sasuke's arm tightly and moaned.

"Fuck me."

"Oh, I intend to," Sasuke said in a deep sultry voice and bent his head to Naruto's throat only to ghost his lips over it. Naruto could feel Sasuke's hot breath and moaned.

The elevator doors opened and Sasuke pulled Naruto out with him. He kept his hand on the small of Naruto's back as he led him out the front door of the main entrance of the building.

"Blondie, you look like you just spent the last thirty minutes bent over a desk," Suigetsu who was just coming into work said.

Naruto looked over at him, his cheeks flushed a deep crimson.

"You sound jealous, Suigetsu," Sasuke said smugly.

Naruto looked at him wide eyed. Sasuke snorted and tightened his hold on Naruto before he kissed him quickly.

"Fuck yeah, I'm jealous! I would love to see that ass bent over a desk—"

Sasuke burst out laughing when they made it outside, Naruto having quickened his steps.

"Bastard!" Naruto said in a huff.

"You know Suigetsu is all talk."

"But you're supposed to—"

"Defend your virtue? Seriously?" Sasuke said and smirked.

"You ass!"

"Hm, I think I prefer your sweet firm ass," Sasuke said lowering his voice as he leaned closer to Naruto so that he spoke in his ear.

"Hey, we're not at dinner yet!"

Sasuke chuckled and pulled him towards his car.

"Maybe you won't even make it to dinner."

"Cocky bastard!"

"If it will make you feel better, I'll fire Suigetsu tomorrow."

Naruto smiled but shook his head. He knew that Suigetsu liked to rile him up and it didn't bother him. Besides, he liked arguing with Sasuke about nothing. Especially if it helped him forget the way Sasuke made him feel so that he could get through dinner while Sasuke attempted to arouse him more than he already was.

"Hn."

"Sticks and stones, Sasuke," Naruto said with a smirk.

Sasuke looked at him and shook his head with a chuckle.

Naruto was well aware that he had let a couple 'hns' pass but he wasn't about to slack off now.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [salida](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14001792) by [diceysmiles](https://archiveofourown.org/users/diceysmiles/pseuds/diceysmiles)




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